Shloka 45

उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit

Angiras Teaching

Devanagari script

अष्टमेन तु भक्तेन जीवन्‌ संवत्सरं नृप

Transliteration

aṣṭamena tu bhaktena jīvan saṃvatsaraṃ nṛpa

Translation

Hỡi Đại vương, ai sống trọn một năm với lòng sùng tín thuộc “loại thứ tám” thì đạt được quả phúc tôn giáo như mong cầu—cho thấy rằng sự sùng tín bền bỉ, có kỷ luật tự thân, chính là một phương tiện mạnh mẽ của dharma.

Word by Word

• अष्टमेन: with the eighth (portion/meal/act)
• अष्टमेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टम
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• भक्तेन: with food; by a meal/portion of food
• भक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• जीवन्: living; while living
• जीवन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीवत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• संवत्सरम्: a year
• संवत्सरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

अंगियरा उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Aṅgiras (speaker)
• nṛpa (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes that devotion is not merely a momentary feeling but a sustained discipline: maintaining a prescribed form of devotion for an entire year is presented as a potent dharmic practice that yields spiritual merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aṅgiras addresses a king and describes the efficacy of a particular (eighth) mode of devotion, stating that living with it for a year brings the intended religious result, as part of a broader instruction on dharma and observances.