Shloka 118
यज्ञभृद् यज्ञकृद् यज्ञी यज्ञभुग् यज्ञसाधन: । यज्ञान्तकृद् यज्ञगुह्मन्नमन्नाद एव च
yajñabhṛd yajñakṛd yajñī yajñabhug yajñasādhanaḥ | yajñāntakṛd yajñaguhyam annam annāda eva ca ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Er ist der Träger des Opfers (yajña), der Ordner des Opfers und der, in dem alle Opfer ihre Vollendung finden. Er ist der Genießende jedes Opfers und das Mittel, durch das Opfer vollbracht werden. Er verleiht die letzte Frucht des Opfers und ist dessen verborgene, innere Essenz. Er ist die Speise selbst—die alle Wesen nährt—und zugleich der Speisende, der alle Gaben empfängt und verzehrt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All sacrificial action—outer ritual and inner discipline—ultimately rests in and returns to the Supreme: He upholds sacrifice, enables it, receives it, and grants its fruits. The verse also shifts emphasis from mere external rite to the ‘secret’ of yajña: selfless intention and inward offering.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the Supreme through a litany of divine names. This verse is part of that praise, describing the Lord as the essence, agent, recipient, and reward of yajña, and as the universal nourisher (food) and enjoyer (eater).