Shloka 73

Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda

Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity

Devanagari script

' नीलषण्डप्रमोक्षेण अमावास्यां तिलोदकै:ः

Transliteration

nīlaṣaṇḍa-pramokṣeṇa amāvāsyāṁ tilodakaiḥ

Translation

释迦罗（因陀罗）说：行“放释 nīlaṣaṇḍa”之仪，并于阿摩婆娑耶（Amāvāsyā，新月之日）献上芝麻水（tilodaka），即可获得法之功德——此乃与祖先祭仪相连、并承载对亡者伦理责任的严谨修持。

Word by Word

• नीलषण्डप्रमोक्षेण: by/with the release (letting go) of a blue-bull herd (or: by the act called nīlaṣaṇḍa-pramokṣa)
• नीलषण्डप्रमोक्षेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीलषण्डप्रमोक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अमावास्याम्: on the new-moon day
• अमावास्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तिलोदकैः: with sesame-water (water mixed with sesame seeds)
• तिलोदकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलोदक
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शक्र (Indra)
• अमावास्या (new-moon day)
• तिलोदक (sesame-water offering)
• नीलषण्ड (ritual item/oblation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic merit gained through timely, prescribed observances—especially Amāvāsyā offerings of sesame-water—emphasizing responsibility toward ancestors and the ethical value of disciplined ritual duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) is describing a specific religious practice: the ‘release’ (pramokṣa) of a nīlaṣaṇḍa as part of an observance, together with Amāvāsyā sesame-water offerings, presenting these acts as sources of spiritual merit within the broader instruction on dharma.