Shloka 4
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
तानाबभाषे भगवान् पक्षी भूत्वा हिरण्मय: । सुदुष्करं मनुष्यैश्व यत् कृतं विघसाशिभि:
tān ābabhāṣe bhagavān pakṣī bhūtvā hiraṇmayaḥ | suduṣkaraṃ manuṣyaiś ca yat kṛtaṃ vighasāśibhiḥ ||
Assuming the form of a radiant, golden bird, the Blessed One addressed them: “What has been accomplished by those noble men who live on the remnants of sacrifice is exceedingly difficult for ordinary people to do. Their conduct is purifying and their way of life is excellent; devoted to dharma, they have fulfilled their aims and attained the highest course.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises disciplined, dharma-centered living: those who sustain themselves on what remains after sacrificial offering (vighasa) embody restraint and purity, and such conduct—hard for most people—leads to fulfilled aims and an elevated spiritual destiny.
A divine being appears in the striking guise of a radiant golden bird and addresses a group, commending the exceptional difficulty and sanctity of the practice followed by those who eat only sacrificial remnants, and affirming their successful attainment of a higher state.