Shloka 2
श्रीशक्रसंवादः — The Dialogue of Śrī
Lakṣmī) and Śakra (Indra
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! व्रतयुक्त द्विजगण वेदोक्त सकामकर्मोंके फलकी इच्छासे हविष्यान्नका भोजन करते हैं, उनका यह काय उचित है या नहीं? ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | avedoktavratopetā bhuñjānāḥ kāryakāriṇaḥ | vedokteṣu ca bhuñjānā vratlubdhā yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Yudhiṣṭhira, wer Gelübde auf sich nimmt, die nicht vom Veda gebilligt sind, und dann die Opferkost (haviṣya) isst, handelt bloß nach eigener Willkür. Und selbst jene, die innerhalb vedisch gebilligter Observanzen essen—Riten vollziehend in Begier nach Ergebnissen—sind als ‚gierig nach den Früchten der Gelübde‘ zu betrachten; an dieses Verlangen gebunden, bleiben sie an die wiederholte Rückkehr in die Welt gefesselt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between (1) non-Vedic observances followed by mere personal preference and (2) Veda-sanctioned observances pursued with desire for results. He criticizes both: the first as arbitrary, the second as still binding when motivated by craving for fruits, thereby sustaining worldly bondage.
Yudhishthira asks whether Brahmins who eat haviṣya food seeking the fruits of Vedic desire-motivated rites are acting rightly. Bhishma replies that non-Vedic vow-eaters are self-willed, and even Vedic vow-eaters who are attached to results are ‘fruit-greedy,’ implying continued entanglement in saṃsāra.