Shloka 14
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
आम्नायदृढवादीनि तथा सिद्धिरिहेष्यते । मासार्धभासा ऋतव आदित्यशशितारकम्
āmnāya-dṛḍha-vādīni tathā siddhir iha eṣyate | māsārdha-bhāsā ṛtava āditya-śaśi-tārakam ||
Arjuna said: “Those acts that are firmly established by sacred tradition (āmnāya) are the means by which the desired success is attained here. The sacrificial order is marked out by the divisions of time—months and half-months, the seasons, and by the movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars. For Brāhmaṇas, Vedic rites are praised as an excellent path leading to heaven; and the sages declare that all ritual action is accomplished and made effective through Vedic mantras. Because the Veda sets these duties forth with certainty, their proper performance brings the sought-for results in this very life. Therefore beings generally strive, as far as they can, to complete the sacrifices regulated by these measures of time. Such sacrificial performance is what is called ‘karma’; and the householder’s stage, where these rites are carried out, is a meritorious field of accomplishment and is regarded as the greatest āśrama.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That Vedic duties grounded in authoritative tradition (āmnāya) and empowered by mantras are reliable means to attain desired results—both worldly accomplishment (iha-siddhi) and heavenly merit—especially through the sacrificial responsibilities of the householder stage.
Arjuna speaks in the Śānti Parva context, presenting a view that emphasizes the certainty and efficacy of Vedic ritual action: sacrifices are structured by cosmic time (months, fortnights, seasons, sun, moon, stars), and the gṛhastha-āśrama is upheld as the principal arena where such karma is performed and bears fruit.