Shloka 48

Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)

Devanagari script

आत्मानमुपजीवन दीक्षां द्वादशवार्षिकीम्‌

Transliteration

ātmānam upajīvan dīkṣāṃ dvādaśavārṣikīm

Translation

“Namumuhay na tanging sarili ang inaasahan at tinataguyod, dapat niyang tanggapin ang dīkṣā—ang panatang inisasyon—sa loob ng labindalawang taon.”

Word by Word

• आत्मानम्: oneself
• आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उपजीवन्: living (by), subsisting
• उपजीवन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपजीव्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दीक्षाम्: vow, consecration, religious observance
• दीक्षाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• द्वादशवार्षिकीम्: twelve-year (lasting)
• द्वादशवार्षिकीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश-वार्षिक
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrīmaheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)
• ātman (the self)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores sustained self-discipline: one should rely on one’s own regulated life (ātma-niyama) and undertake a long, consecrated observance (dīkṣā) for purification and firmness in dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śrīmaheśvara is speaking, prescribing a specific ascetic-religious regimen: a twelve-year dīkṣā characterized by self-reliant subsistence and disciplined conduct, presented as a means to spiritual and ethical attainment.