Shloka 49
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
नानाशकुनिसम्भोज्यै: फलैरव॑क्षेरलंकृतम् । यथास्थानविनिक्षिप्तैर्भूषितं भस्मराशिभि:
nānā-śakuni-sambhojyaiḥ phalair avakṣer alaṅkṛtam | yathā-sthāna-vinikṣiptair bhūṣitaṃ bhasma-rāśibhiḥ ||
Vāsudeva disse: O eremitério era adornado por muitas espécies de frutos próprios para o alimento de diversas aves, e por árvores carregadas deles. Montículos de cinzas, colocados em seus devidos lugares, realçavam ainda mais sua beleza austera—sinais de vida disciplinada e de ritos sagrados, e não de ornamento mundano.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True beauty in a dharmic life is not luxury but disciplined simplicity: natural abundance (fruits for creatures) and ritual austerity (ash from sacred fires) become the ‘ornaments’ of an āśrama, pointing to restraint, purity, and ordered conduct.
Vāsudeva is describing the appearance of a hermitage: it is decorated by fruit-bearing trees and fruits suitable for birds, and by ash-heaps placed neatly in their proper locations—suggesting ongoing sacred fires, rites, and an ascetic, well-ordered environment.