Shloka 7
कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
समानां श्रद्धधानानां संयतानां सुचेतसाम् । कुर्वतां यज्ञ इत्येव न यज्ञो जातु नेष्यते
samānāṁ śraddadhānānāṁ saṁyatānāṁ sucetasām | kurvatāṁ yajña ity eva na yajño jātu neṣyate ||
قال بهيشما: «إن الذين يستوون عندهم الربح والخسارة، ويعملون بشرَدّها، وبضبط النفس، وبقلبٍ مُطهَّرٍ يقِظ، ويؤدّون اليَجْنَ (القربان/الذبيحة الطقسية) لأنه واجبٌ فحسب—فإن يَجْنَهم لا يبور أبدًا».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sacrifice succeeds when grounded in inner qualities—equanimity toward gain and loss, faith, self-restraint, and purity of mind—and when performed as duty rather than as a bargain for results.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, emphasizing that the efficacy of yajña depends on the performer’s disciplined intention and mental steadiness, not merely on external ritual factors.