Shloka 16
तमध्वरे शंसितार: स्तुवन्ति रथन्तरे सामगाश्र स्तुवन्ति । त॑ ब्राह्मणा ब्रद्ममन्त्रै: स्तुवन्ति तस्मै हविरध्वर्यव: कल्पयन्ति
tam adhvare śaṁsitāraḥ stuvanti rathantare sāmagāś ca stuvanti | taṁ brāhmaṇā brahmamantraiḥ stuvanti tasmai havir adhvaryavaḥ kalpayanti ||
Bhishma said: “In the sacrifice, the officiating reciters praise Him; the chanters of Sāman hymns praise Him through the Rathantara chant. The Brahmins, knowing the Veda, extol Him with sacred mantras, and the Adhvaryu priests duly assign to Him His share of the oblation in the rite.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Supreme is the central recipient and meaning of Vedic sacrifice: every class of priest—reciters, Sāman-chanters, mantra-knowing Brahmins, and the Adhvaryu who handles offerings—directs praise and oblations to Him, showing ritual as coordinated devotion grounded in dharma.
Bhishma is describing how, within a properly conducted yajña, different officiants perform their specialized roles—recitation, chanting, mantra-praise, and allotting oblations—yet all these actions converge on honoring the same divine object of worship.