Shloka 55

कल्मषापहर-कीर्तनम् / Kīrtana for the Removal of Impurity

Devanagari script

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच श्रेयांसं मार्गमन्विच्छन्‌ सदा य: पृच्छति द्विजान्‌ । धर्मान्विषी गुणाकांक्षी स स्वर्ग समुपाश्षुते

Transliteration

śrīmaheśvara uvāca: śreyāṁsaṁ mārgam anvicchan sadā yaḥ pṛcchati dvijān | dharmānviṣī guṇākāṅkṣī sa svargaṁ samupāśnute ||

Translation

శ్రీమహేశ్వరుడు అన్నాడు—శ్రేయోమార్గాన్ని అన్వేషిస్తూ ఎల్లప్పుడూ ద్విజులను (విద్వాన్ బ్రాహ్మణులను) ప్రశ్నించే వాడు, ధర్మాన్వేషి మరియు గుణాకాంక్షి అయిన వాడు—స్వర్గాన్ని పొందుతాడు.

Word by Word

• श्रीमहेश्वरः: the venerable Maheshvara (Shiva)
• श्रीमहेश्वरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• श्रेयांसम्: the better (one)
• श्रेयांसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मार्गम्: path
• मार्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अन्विच्छन्: seeking
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + इष्
• Form: Present (participle), Parasmaipada, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पृच्छति: asks
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular

• द्विजान्: brahmins / twice-born
• द्विजान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• धर्मान्विषी: one who seeks dharma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + अन्विषिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गुणाकाङ्क्षी: desiring virtues/good qualities
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण + आकाङ्क्षिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समुपाश्नुते: attains
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उप + अश्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara
• dvija (Brahmins/learned twice-born)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Persistent, humble inquiry into dharma from qualified learned teachers, coupled with a genuine desire for virtue, is presented as a direct means to spiritual merit culminating in svarga.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheśvara delivers an instruction on ethical practice: the aspirant should actively seek the superior course of life by repeatedly consulting the dvijas (learned authorities) about dharma, thereby gaining merit and a higher posthumous destiny.