Shloka 13

The Churning of the Ocean

Milk Ocean Episode: Kālakūṭa, Hari-nāma, and Alakṣmī/Jyeṣṭhā

Devanagari script

संध्यायां ये हि चाश्नंति दुःखदा तिष्ठ तद्गृहे । कपालकेशभस्मास्थि तुषांगाराणि यत्र तु

Transliteration

saṃdhyāyāṃ ye hi cāśnaṃti duḥkhadā tiṣṭha tadgṛhe | kapālakeśabhasmāsthi tuṣāṃgārāṇi yatra tu

Translation

جو لوگ سَندھیا (شفق) کے وقت کھاتے ہیں وہ دکھ لاتے ہیں؛ اے دکھ دینے والی، اسی گھر میں ٹھہری رہ—جہاں کھوپڑیاں، بال، راکھ، ہڈیاں، بھوسا اور انگارے رکھے جاتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

संध्यायाम्at twilight

येwho

हिindeed

चand

अश्नन्तिeat

दुःखदाO giver of sorrow

तिष्ठstay

तद्गृहेin that house

कपालकेशभस्मास्थिskulls, hair, ash, and bones (a heap)

तुषाङ्गाराणिhusks and embers

यत्रwhere

तुindeed/but

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative instruction within Brahma-khaṇḍa; exact dialogue speaker not provided in the input)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: चाश्नन्ति = च + अश्नन्ति; तद्गृहे = तद् + गृहे; भस्मास्थि = भस्म + अस्थि; तुषाङ्गाराणि = तुष + अङ्गाराणि (समास)

FAQs

Why does the verse discourage eating during sandhyā (twilight)?

Sandhyā is traditionally reserved for purification and prayer (sandhyā-vandana). Eating at that liminal time is treated here as a breach of disciplined daily conduct (ācāra), said to invite distress into the household.

What is the point of listing skulls, hair, ashes, bones, chaff, and embers?

The list functions as a marker of ritual/household impurity and inauspicious storage. The verse links such neglected or impure items—kept within the home—to the presence of misfortune.

What ethical lesson does this verse teach for householders?

It emphasizes disciplined timing (respecting sandhyā) and maintaining a clean, orderly, and ritually appropriate home environment as part of dharma for a gṛhastha (householder).