Shloka 74

Brahmin Right Conduct: Morning Remembrance, Bathing, Purification, and Tarpaṇa Method

Devanagari script

सन्ध्याकृत्यमकृत्वा च सूर्यं हंति च पापकृत् । नारद उवाच । ब्राह्मणस्य सदाचारक्रमं ब्रूहि च कर्मणाम्

Transliteration

sandhyākṛtyamakṛtvā ca sūryaṃ haṃti ca pāpakṛt | nārada uvāca | brāhmaṇasya sadācārakramaṃ brūhi ca karmaṇām

Translation

جو پاپی سندھیا کے کرم ترک کرے وہ گویا سورج کو قتل کرتا ہے۔ نارَد نے کہا: “براہمن کے سداچار اور فرائضِ اعمال کی ترتیب وار روش بیان کرو۔”

Word by Word

• sandhyā-kṛtyam: the sandhyā duty (twilight prayer)
• sandhyā-kṛtyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sandhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: sandhyāyāḥ kṛtyam (‘duty of sandhyā’); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• a-kṛtvā: without doing
• a-kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + nañ- (उपसर्ग/निषेध)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), negated with nañ; avyaya-prayoga

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• sūryam: the Sun
• sūryam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• haṃti: kills/harms
• haṃti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• pāpa-kṛt: a sinner/evil-doer
• pāpa-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: pāpaṃ karoti iti; agent-noun (कृदन्त, कर्तरि), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• brāhmaṇasya: of a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• sad-ācāra-kramam: the order of good conduct
• sad-ācāra-kramam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक) + krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (multi-member): sadācārasya kramaḥ (‘sequence/order of good conduct’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd), Singular

• brūhi: tell (me)
• brūhi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Parasmaipada, 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• karmaṇām: of (ritual) acts
• karmaṇām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Nārada (questioning; verse includes a general statement preceding his inquiry)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: sandhyākṛtyamakṛtvā = sandhyākṛtyam + akṛtvā; nārada uvāca is direct speech marker; sadācārakramaṃ = sat + ācāra + krama (internal sandhi: sad- + ācāra).

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Nārada
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What does it mean to ‘kill the Sun’ by not performing Sandhyā?

It is a moral-theological hyperbole: neglecting the daily Sandhyā worship is treated as a grave offense against Sūrya and against the sustaining cosmic order (dharma) that the Sun represents.

What topic is being introduced by Nārada here?

Nārada is initiating a discussion on brāhmaṇa sadācāra—proper ethical and ritual conduct—asking for the duties to be explained in a clear, ordered sequence.

What is the ethical lesson emphasized in this verse?

Regular discipline in daily duties matters: omission of foundational practices (like Sandhyā rites) is portrayed as spiritually harmful and ethically blameworthy, prompting a broader teaching on right conduct.