Shloka 24

उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit

Angiras Teaching

Devanagari script

निस्तरेदेकभक्तेन वैशाखं यो जितेन्द्रिय: । नरो वा यदि वा नारी ज्ञातीनां श्रेष्ठतां ब्रजेत्‌

Transliteration

nistared ekabhaktena vaiśākhaṃ yo jitendriyaḥ | naro vā yadi vā nārī jñātīnāṃ śreṣṭhatāṃ brājet ||

Translation

Người tự chế ngự, giữ tháng Vaiśākha với kỷ luật chí thành và chỉ ăn một bữa mỗi ngày, sẽ vượt qua (tội lỗi và khổ đau). Dù nam hay nữ, người ấy đạt địa vị tối thượng giữa họ hàng—trở nên bậc đứng đầu trong dòng tộc nhờ công đức của lời nguyện này.

Word by Word

• निस्तरेत्: should cross over / should get through
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√स्तॄ (स्तॄ)
• Form: Vidhi-linga, Optative, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एकभक्तेन: by single-meal observance
• एकभक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकभक्त
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वैशाखम्: the month of Vaiśākha
• वैशाखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशाख
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• जितेन्द्रियः: self-controlled (having conquered the senses)
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जितेन्द्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ज्ञातीनाम्: of (one's) kinsmen/relatives
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञाति
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठताम्: pre-eminence / superiority
• श्रेष्ठताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेष्ठता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रजेत्: should attain / should go to
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रज्
• Form: Vidhi-linga, Optative, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

अंगियरा उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Aṅgiras (speaker)
• Vaiśākha (month)
• nara (man)
• nārī (woman)
• jñāti (kinsmen/relatives)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Single-minded devotional observance, grounded in self-restraint, especially during the sacred month of Vaiśākha, is presented as a powerful dharmic practice that leads to spiritual deliverance and elevates one’s standing through earned merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aṅgiras is instructing about the fruits of religious observances (vratas). In this verse he states that anyone—man or woman—who keeps the Vaiśākha observance with focused devotion and controlled senses gains deliverance and becomes foremost among their relatives.