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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 8.28

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Published
8
Verses
1201
Minutes
600
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 8 · Verse 28

गृहस्थकर्त्तव्यानिThe duties of the householder

Verse 28

आसनं शयनं वस्त्रं पानं भोजनमेव च । तत्तत्समयमाज्ञाय मात्रे पित्रे नियोजयेत् ॥ २८ ॥

āsanaṁ śayanaṁ vastraṁ pānaṁ bhōjanamēva ca | tattatsamayamājñāya mātrē pitrē niyōjayēt || 28 ||

Translation

Seat, bed, clothing, drink and food: knowing the right time for each, he should offer them to his mother and father.

Word by word

āsanaṁ
seat
śayanaṁ
bed
vastraṁ
clothing
pānaṁ
drink
bhōjanam
(bhojanam) food
ēva
also
ca
and
tattat
for each
samayam
(samayam) the right time
ājñāya
knowing
mātrē
to his mother
pitrē
to his father
niyōjayēt
he should offer

Meaning

Service is made concrete. The commentary glosses each item: a bed is "that on which one lies"; drink is water and the like; food, what is eaten; and "the time for each" is the proper moment to offer a seat, a meal and so on, before they have to ask. Attentiveness, not grand gestures, is the measure.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

"Āsanam…" and the rest. Śayanam: that on which one lies, a bed. Pānam: that which is drunk, a drink, water and the like, is the sense. Bhojanam: the thing to be eaten. Tat-tat-samayam: the time for offering the seat and the rest. Niyojayet: he should offer. (This explanation covers verses 28 and 29.)