Shloka 32

Dharma of the Conduct of the Vānaprastha Āśrama

Forest-Dweller Discipline

Devanagari script

अथ चाग्नीन्समारोप्य स्वात्मनि ध्यानतत्परः

Transliteration

atha cāgnīnsamāropya svātmani dhyānatatparaḥ

Translation

Kemudian, setelah menyalakan api-api suci di dalam dirinya sendiri, dia menjadi sepenuhnya tekun dalam meditasi terhadap Ātman (Diri Sejati).

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• अग्नीन्: fires
• अग्नीन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• समारोप्य: having installed/placed
• समारोप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-रुह् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having placed/installed’

• स्वात्मनि: in his own self
• स्वात्मनि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण; locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘in one’s own self’)

• ध्यानतत्परः: intent on meditation
• ध्यानतत्परः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यान + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘intent on meditation’)

Speaker

Unspecified (narratorial description within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: अथ+च → अथ च; च+अग्नीन् → चाग्नीन्; अग्नीन्+समारोप्य → अग्नीन्समारोप्य; स्व+आत्मनि → स्वात्मनि.

FAQs

What does it mean to ‘place the fires within oneself’ in this verse?

It points to internalizing the sacrificial fires—treating discipline, awareness, and spiritual heat (tapas) as an inner yajña—rather than emphasizing an external ritual alone.

How does this verse relate ritual (agni) to meditation (dhyāna)?

The verse links them by portraying agni as an inward spiritual process that culminates in absorption in meditation—suggesting a movement from outer rite to inner realization.

What is the main ethical or practical lesson conveyed here?

Cultivate inner discipline and concentrated contemplation: transform religious practice into self-purification and steady meditation rather than mere external performance.