Shloka 67

Vrata–Dāna Compendium at Puṣkara: Puṣpavāhana’s Account and the Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata Purification Rite

Devanagari script

एतदायुर्व्रतं नाम सर्वकामप्रदायकम् । अश्वत्थं भास्करं गंगां प्रणम्यैकाग्रमानसः

Transliteration

etadāyurvrataṃ nāma sarvakāmapradāyakam | aśvatthaṃ bhāskaraṃ gaṃgāṃ praṇamyaikāgramānasaḥ

Translation

ଏହା ‘ଆୟୁର୍ବ୍ରତ’ ନାମରେ ପରିଚିତ, ଯାହା ସମସ୍ତ କାମନା ପ୍ରଦାନ କରେ। ଏକାଗ୍ର ମନରେ ଅଶ୍ୱତ୍ଥ, ଭାସ୍କର (ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ) ଓ ଗଙ୍ଗାଙ୍କୁ ପ୍ରଣାମ କରିବା ଉଚିତ।

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• āyuḥ-vratam: the longevity-vow
• āyuḥ-vratam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (vow concerning lifespan)

• nāma: called; by name
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (Avyaya-like usage), नामार्थक (as ‘called/namely’)

• sarva-kāma-pradāyakam: granting all desires
• sarva-kāma-pradāyakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (pradāyaka ‘giver’ with object kāma; with sarva as qualifier)

• aśvattham: the aśvattha tree
• aśvattham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvattha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhāskaram: the Sun (Bhāskara)
• bhāskaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• gaṅgām: the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• praṇamya: having bowed to
• praṇamya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-ṇam (प्र + नम् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययकृदन्त (indeclinable verbal), पूर्वक्रिया (having bowed)

• eka-agra-mānasaḥ: one with a focused mind
• eka-agra-mānasaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि (one whose mind is one-pointed)

Speaker

Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: river

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: etadāyurvrataṃ → etat + āyuḥ-vratam; sarvakāmapradāyakam → sarva-kāma-pradāyakam; praṇamyaikāgramānasaḥ → praṇamya + eka-agra-mānasaḥ.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha
• Bhāskara (Sūrya)
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tirthas?

It highlights Gaṅgā as a central sacred river (tīrtha) and pairs it with universally revered sanctities—Aśvattha and Sūrya—showing how Purāṇic practice links place-based holiness (Gaṅgā) with cosmic and natural embodiments of the sacred.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

By prescribing praṇāma (reverential bowing) with ekāgratā (one-pointed attention), it frames devotion as focused, embodied worship directed to divine presences manifest in nature and the cosmos.

What is the ethical lesson from this dialogue?

The verse teaches disciplined intention: spiritual observance (vrata) is not merely ritual performance but requires mental steadiness (ekāgra-manas) and reverence toward life-sustaining realities symbolized by the tree, the sun, and the river.