Shloka 18
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
महाराज! इसके बाद यज्ञकी इच्छावाले देवताओं और स्वयम्भू ब्रह्माजीका समागम होनेपर उनमें परस्पर जो बातचीत हुई थी, उसे बता रहा हूँ, इसपर ध्यान दो ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | mahārāja! tataḥ paraṁ yajñecchavo devāḥ svayambhūṁ brahmāṇam sametya parasparaṁ yāṁ kathām akurvan, tāṁ te kathayiṣyāmi—tatra te manasā nidhatsva || devāḥ sametya brahmāṇaṁ bhūmibhāge yiyakṣavaḥ | śubhaṁ deśam ayācanta yajāma iti pārthiva ||
Bhishma said: “O great king, after this I shall relate to you the conversation that took place when the gods—desiring to perform a sacrifice—came together with Self-born Brahmā. Fix your attention on it. The gods, intent on offering a sacrifice, approached Brahmā and requested a blessed tract of land, saying, ‘O king, grant us an auspicious place on earth where we may perform the sacrifice.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights that sacred action (yajña) requires proper conditions—especially an auspicious place—and that even divine beings seek orderly sanction and right setting, reflecting dharma as alignment of intention, authority, and circumstance.
Bhīṣma tells the king he will recount a prior dialogue: the gods, wishing to perform a sacrifice, approach Self-born Brahmā and ask for an auspicious tract of land on earth where they can conduct the yajña.