Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 11
Plakṣaprasravaṇa–Kārapacana tīrtha-varṇana and Nārada’s war briefing (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 53)
यदि हांत्र प्रमीता वै स्वर्ग गच्छन्ति मानवा: । अस्माननिष्ट्वा क्रतुभिर्भागो नो न भविष्यति
yadi hātra pramītā vai svargaṃ gacchanti mānavāḥ | asmān aniṣṭvā kratubhir bhāgo no na bhaviṣyati ||
Rāma said: “If, in this very world, men who have died go to heaven without first honoring us through sacrificial rites, then our rightful share in the offerings will cease altogether.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional Vedic idea of reciprocity between humans and divine recipients of sacrifice: ritual offerings sustain a cosmic order in which humans seek welfare and heavenly attainment, while the gods (or divine powers) receive their allotted share. It also implicitly warns that neglect of prescribed rites is seen as disrupting that reciprocal balance.
Rāma voices a concern that if people can attain heaven merely by dying—without performing sacrificial worship—then the divine recipients would lose their customary portion of offerings. The statement reflects anxiety about the erosion of ritual practice and the consequences for the established sacrificial economy.
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