Shloka 46

Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)

Devanagari script

अग्नीषोमात्मकमिदं सुवर्ण विद्धि निश्चये

Transliteration

agnīṣomātmakam idaṃ suvarṇa viddhi niścaye

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“当确知：此金本具阿耆尼（Agni）与苏摩（Soma）之性。”在此教诲中，黄金并非仅为金属，而被视为象征性地奠基于神圣宇宙原则之物，劝人以敬畏与明辨观之，而非徒以贪欲取之。

Word by Word

• अग्नीषोमात्मकम्: having the nature of Agni and Soma
• अग्नीषोमात्मकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नीषोमात्मक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• सुवर्ण: O golden one / O excellent one
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण
• Form: Neuter, Vocative, Singular

• विद्धि: know (you)! / understand!
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद्
• Form: Imperative (Loṭ), Second, Singular

• निश्चये: with certainty / in certainty
• निश्चये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Agni
• Soma
• Suvarṇa (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Gold should be understood through a dharmic lens: it is linked to sacred cosmic forces (Agni and Soma), so it deserves respectful, restrained, and purposeful use rather than being treated as an object of mere attachment or exploitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction (Anushasana Parva), he explains the deeper nature of substances relevant to dharma and ritual life; here he characterizes gold as ‘Agni–Soma in essence,’ grounding its value in sacred symbolism.