Shloka 3
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
अजेन यष्टव्यमिति प्राहुर्देवा द्विजोत्तमान् । स च च्छागो>प्यजो ज्ञेयो नान्य: पशुरिति स्थिति:
ajena yaṣṭavyam iti prāhur devā dvijottamān | sa ca chāgo 'py ajo jñeyo nānyaḥ paśur iti sthitiḥ ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—দেবতারা শ্রেষ্ঠ দ্বিজদের বললেন, “অজ দ্বারা যজ্ঞ করা উচিত।” আর স্থির সিদ্ধান্ত এই যে এখানে ‘অজ’ বলতে ছাগলকেই বোঝাতে হবে; অন্য কোনো পশু উদ্দেশ্য নয়।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes authoritative interpretation of ritual injunctions: when scripture says to sacrifice with an ‘aja,’ the established tradition clarifies that ‘aja’ here means a goat, not any other animal—showing how dharma relies on precise, context-bound meanings.
Bhishma recounts a declaration by the gods to eminent Brahmins: they instruct that a sacrifice should be performed using an ‘aja’ and explicitly settle the intended referent as a goat, excluding other animals.