Shloka 40

मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity

Devanagari script

सदा द्वादशमासान्‌ वै जुह्मानो जातवेदसम्‌ | अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फल प्राप्रोत्यनुत्तमम्‌

Transliteration

sadā dvādaśa-māsān vai juhvāno jātavedasam | aśvamedha-sahasrasya phalaṁ prāpnoty anuttamam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Ai trong suốt mười hai tháng không ngừng dâng lễ vật vào lửa thiêng (Agni, Jātavedas, đấng biết mọi sự sinh khởi) thì đạt công đức vô song, ngang với một nghìn tế lễ Aśvamedha. Lời dạy đề cao sự thờ phụng hằng ngày bền bỉ và tự chế như con đường có sức mạnh đạo đức sánh với cả những nghi lễ vương giả vĩ đại nhất.

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• जुह्मानः: offering (oblation), sacrificing
• जुह्मानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जातवेदसम्: Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य: of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेधसहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्राप्नोति: attains, obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Agni (Jātavedas)
• Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Consistent daily sacrificial discipline—regular oblations to Agni sustained over a full year—can yield spiritual merit comparable to the most prestigious and costly royal sacrifices, emphasizing steadiness and self-restraint over spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he praises a year-long regimen of daily fire-offerings (homa) and declares its fruit to be equal to that of performing a thousand Aśvamedha rites, thereby guiding the listener toward accessible yet rigorous religious practice.