Shloka 41

Devanagari script

होमकाले यथा वदह्नलि: कालमेव प्रतीक्षते । ऋतुकाले तथा नारी ऋतुमेव प्रतीक्षते,जैसे होमकालमें अग्निदेव होमकी ही प्रतीक्षा करते हैं, उसी प्रकार ऋतुकालमें स्त्री ऋतुकी ही प्रतीक्षा करती है

Transliteration

homakāle yathā vahniḥ kālam eva pratīkṣate | ṛtukāle tathā nārī ṛtum eva pratīkṣate ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: “Như vào thời khắc đã định cho lễ tế lửa, ngọn lửa thiêng chỉ chờ đúng thời ấy; cũng vậy, khi đến mùa của mình, người nữ chỉ chờ đúng mùa của mình.” Lời ấy đặt dục vọng và sự hòa hợp trong kỷ luật của đúng thời, đúng trật tự, xem tự chế và đoan chính là một phần của dharma.

Word by Word

• होमकाले: at the time of oblation (homa-time)
• होमकाले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: होमकाल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• वदह्नलिः: the fire (Agni) (as stated in the text)
• वदह्नलिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदह्नलि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कालम्: the time
• कालम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• प्रतीक्षते: waits for
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-ईक्ष्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• ऋतुकाले: at the season/time of fertility (ritu-time)
• ऋतुकाले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतुकाल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तथा: so/in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

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

• ऋतुम्: the season/menstrual period
• ऋतुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• प्रतीक्षते: waits for
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-ईक्ष्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Agni (sacrificial fire)
• homa (fire-offering)
• ṛtu (fertile season)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That dharma includes acting according to the proper time (kāla): ritual acts like homa are done at their appointed time, and likewise sexual union and conception are framed as appropriate within the woman’s ṛtu (fertile season), emphasizing restraint and order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is instructing on norms of conduct (ācāra) and household ethics in Anushasana Parva, using a ritual analogy—Agni awaiting the homa-time—to illustrate the principle of waiting for the proper season in matters of procreation.