Shloka 423

Adhyāya 325: Nārada in Śvetadvīpa—Stotra to the Nirguṇa Mahātman

Devanagari script

मध्यरात्रे यथान्यायं निद्रामाहारयत्‌ प्रभु: । परंतु शुकदेवजीने पहले हाथ-पैर धोकर संध्योपासना की। उसके बाद पवित्र आसनपर बैठकर वे मोक्षतत्त्वका ही विचार करने लगे। रातके पहले पहरमें वे ध्यानस्थ होकर बैठे रहे। फिर रात्रिके मध्यभाग (दूसरे और तीसरे पहर) में प्रभावशाली शुकने यथोचित निद्राको स्वीकार किया

Transliteration

madhyarātre yathānyāyaṁ nidrām āhārayat prabhuḥ | paraṁtu śukadevajīne pūrvaṁ hasta-pāda-dhautanam kṛtvā sandhyopāsanāṁ cakāra | tataḥ pavitrāsane upaviśya sa mokṣa-tattvasyaiva vicāraṁ kartum ārabdhavān | rātreḥ prathame pahare sa dhyānasthaḥ san upāviśat | tataḥ rātryā madhyabhāge (dvitīya-tṛtīya-pahare) prabhāvaśālī śukaḥ yathocitaṁ nidrāṁ svīkṛtavān |

Translation

Bhishma nói: Vào khoảng nửa đêm, bậc đáng tôn kính mới nhận giấc ngủ với chừng mực đúng phép. Nhưng trước đó, Śuka rửa tay chân và hành lễ sandhyā-upāsanā (tụng niệm lúc hoàng hôn). Rồi ngồi trên chỗ ngồi thanh tịnh, Ngài chỉ chuyên tâm quán niệm về nguyên lý giải thoát. Suốt canh đầu, Ngài an trú trong thiền định; sau đó, vào phần giữa của đêm (canh hai và canh ba), Śuka đầy uy lực mới ngủ theo điều hợp lẽ.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'madhyarātra', 'definition': 'midnight

• the middle portion of the night'}, {'term': 'yathā-nyāyam / yathocitam', 'definition': 'according to rule

• as is proper and fitting'}, {'term': 'nidrā', 'definition': 'sleep

• rest'}, {'term': 'āhārayat / svīkṛ', 'definition': 'accepted, took up (sleep)'}, {'term': 'prabhuḥ', 'definition': 'the lordly/venerable one

• a powerful person (here, Shuka)'}, {'term': 'hasta-pāda-dhautanam', 'definition': 'washing of hands and feet'}, {'term': 'sandhyā-upāsanā', 'definition': 'twilight worship

• daily devotional rite at the junctions of day'}, {'term': 'pavitra-āsana', 'definition': 'a purified seat

• ritually clean sitting place'}, {'term': 'mokṣa-tattva', 'definition': 'the principle/truth of liberation'}, {'term': 'vicāra', 'definition': 'inquiry, reflection, contemplation'}, {'term': 'dhyānastha', 'definition': 'absorbed in meditation'}, {'term': 'pahara (yāma)', 'definition': 'a watch of the night (traditional division into parts)'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Shuka (Shukadeva)
• Sandhya (twilight worship)
• Pavitra asana (purified seat)
• Moksha-tattva (principle of liberation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That a disciplined life orders actions by dharma: purification and worship are performed first, contemplation of liberation is prioritized, and even sleep is taken only in a measured, appropriate way.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes Shuka’s nightly routine: he washes, performs sandhya worship, sits on a purified seat to contemplate moksha, meditates through the first watch, and then accepts sleep during the middle watches of the night.