Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 87

आचारप्रशंसा

Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

Devanagari script

प्रियंगुचन्दना भ्यां च बिल्वेन तगरेण च

Transliteration

priyaṅgucandanābhyāṃ ca bilvena tagareṇa ca

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“（行供奉时）当以priyangu与檀香，又以bilva与tagara而供。”

Word by Word

• प्रियङ्गुचन्दनाभ्याम्: with priyangu and sandalwood
• प्रियङ्गुचन्दनाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियङ्गुचन्दन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

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

• बिल्वेन: with bilva (bael)
• बिल्वेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तगरेण: with tagara (fragrant plant)
• तगरेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तगर
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• priyaṅgu
• candana (sandalwood)
• bilva
• tagara

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes dharmic worship through clean, auspicious, fragrant offerings—external acts meant to cultivate inner devotion, purity, and disciplined conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is instructing on proper modes/materials of religious offering, listing specific fragrant substances (priyangu, sandalwood, bilva, tagara) suitable for worship in the broader context of dharma-teachings in the Anuśāsana Parva.