Shloka 16
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
ये च भागं प्रगृह्नन्ति यज्ेषु द्विजसत्तम । ते यजन्तो महायज्ञै: कस्य भागं ददन्ति वै,ब्राह्मणशिरोमणे! जो यज्ञोंमें भाग ग्रहण करते हैं, वे देवता जब स्वयं महायज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करते हैं, तब किसको भाग समर्पित करते हैं?
ye ca bhāgaṃ pragṛhṇanti yajñeṣu dvijasattama | te yajanto mahāyajñaiḥ kasya bhāgaṃ dadanti vai brāhmaṇa-śiromaṇe ||
Janamejaya fragte: „O Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, jene Gottheiten, die in den Opfern ihre Anteile empfangen—wenn sie selbst große Opfer vollziehen, wem geben sie dann einen Anteil dar? O Kronjuwel unter den Brahmanen!“
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a theological-ethical inquiry into the hierarchy of offering: if gods are recipients of sacrificial portions, then when they act as sacrificers, there must be an ultimate recipient or principle that grounds the sacrificial economy. It invites reflection on the source of divine authority and the final destination of ritual merit.
In the Shanti Parva’s didactic setting, King Janamejaya questions a learned Brahmin: deities accept offerings in human sacrifices, but if those same deities perform great sacrifices, to whom do they offer? The question sets up an explanation about the structure of yajña and the supreme recipient beyond ordinary recipients.