Shloka 17
अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः
Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan
जगदग्निरुवाच यो यजेदश्वमेधेन वाजपेयशतेन ह । अवाक्शिरा वा लम्बेत सत्र॑ वा स्फीतमाहरेत्
Jamadagnir uvāca: yo yajed aśvamedhena vājapeya-śatena ha | avāk-śirā vā lambeta satraṁ vā sphītam āharet | kintu yasya hṛdayaṁ na śuddhaṁ sa pāpī niścayaṁ narakaṁ gacchati | yato yajñaḥ satyaṁ ca hṛdaya-śuddhiś ca trayaḥ samāḥ (tathāpi hṛdaya-śuddhiḥ śreṣṭhā) ||
Jamadagni sprach: „Selbst wenn ein Mann das Aśvamedha-Opfer vollzieht oder hundert Vājapeya-Riten; selbst wenn er harte Askese übt — kopfüber an einem Baum hängend — oder ein wohlhabendes satra (Opferkonzil) begründet: Ist sein Herz nicht rein, so geht dieser Sünder gewiss zur Hölle. Denn Opfer, Wahrhaftigkeit und Reinheit des Herzens sind gleichen Wertes — doch die Reinheit des Herzens ist die höchste.“
धौग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
External religious achievements—grand sacrifices or severe austerities—do not redeem a person whose inner disposition is impure. Moral purification of the heart is presented as the highest religious value, even above ritual performance, and it is inseparable from truthfulness.
A sage (Jamadagni) delivers an instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, contrasting prestigious Vedic rites and harsh ascetic practices with the decisive criterion of spiritual worth: purity of heart. The statement functions as ethical counsel, warning that ritual without inner integrity leads to downfall.