Shloka 11

अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः

The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī

Devanagari script

एतच्छुत्वा तु पितरस्ततस्ते विज्वरा3भवन्‌ । एतस्मात्‌ कारणाच्चाग्ने: प्राक्‌ तावद्‌ दीयते नूप

Transliteration

etac chrutvā tu pitaraḥ tataḥ te vijvarā abhavan | etasmāt kāraṇāc cāgneḥ prāk tāvad dīyate nṛpa, nareśvara |

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Khi các Pitṛ (Tổ linh) nghe điều ấy, họ liền thoát khỏi lo âu và khổ não. Vì lẽ đó, tâu Đại vương, trong nghi lễ śrāddha, phần cúng dâng đầu tiên được dâng cho Agni (Thần Lửa) trước.”

Word by Word

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

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

• पितरः: the Pitṛs/manes (ancestors)
• पितरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विज्वराः: free from fever/affliction; untroubled
• विज्वराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विज्वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अभवन्: became/were
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• एतस्मात्: from this
• एतस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• कारणात्: from the reason/cause
• कारणात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अग्नेः: of Agni (fire)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• प्राक्: first/beforehand
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक्

• तावत्: so much/that much; for that extent
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• दीयते: is given/offered
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada (passive sense)

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

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Agni
• Śrāddha (ancestral rite)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse grounds ritual precedence in ethical-religious causality: because Agni’s share brings reassurance and well-being to the ancestors, śrāddha offerings begin with Agni, affirming proper order (krama) in dharma and rites.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma explains to the king that after the Pitṛs heard a certain explanation (from the preceding context), they became free of distress; consequently, tradition prescribes that in śrāddha the first portion is offered to Agni.