आच्छादितास्ते वासोभि: पुष्पैर्गन्धैश्च भूषिता:। सप्तर्षयो दीप्तिमन्तो विराजन्ते यथा दिवि।।1.14.25।।
Meaning
Draped in cloth and adorned with flowers and sandal-paste, those glowing posts shone like the seven sages in the sky.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| ācchāditāḥ te vāsobhiḥ | आच्छादिताः ते वासोभिः | covered with garments | Nominative plural |
| puṣpaiḥ gandhaiḥ ca bhūṣitāḥ | पुष्पैः गन्धैः च भूषिताः | and decorated with flowers and fragrances | Nominative plural |
| sapta-ṛṣayaḥ dīptimantaḥ | सप्त-ऋषयः दीप्तिमन्तः | the resplendent Seven Sages [constellation] | Nominative plural |
| virājante yathā divi | विराजन्ते यथा दिवि | shone forth as [they do] in the sky | Verb (present) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source explains that laying the altar's bricks is itself a distinct consecrated ritual, iSTikaa chayana, with each brick individually consecrated by hymn, followed by an abhiSeka (holy bath) poured over the finished brickwork with milk and other sacred liquids. The eagle shape specifically invokes Garuda, Vishnu's mount and the being who once fetched amrita (the divine elixir) for his mother -- the altar is built with wings and tail outstretched, head turned downward, eyes facing east, on the logic that Garuda will likewise carry this ritual's oblations swiftly to the gods. The source also cites a shruti line describing the altar's golden chips glittering daily in the sun, tying the 'golden-winged' description directly to scriptural precedent rather than poetic license.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.14.27 · Bāla Kāṇḍa