Shloka 24
Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)
स्वाध्याययज्ञा ऋषयो ज्ञानयज्ञास्तथा परे | अथापरे महायज्ञान् मनस्येव वितन्वते,कुछ ऋषि वेद-शास्त्रोंका स्वाध्यायरूप यज्ञ करनेवाले होते हैं, कुछ ज्ञानयज्ञमें तत्पर रहते हैं और कुछ लोग मनमें ही ध्यानरूपी महान् यज्ञोंका विस्तार करते हैं
svādhyāya-yajñā ṛṣayo jñāna-yajñās tathā pare | athāpare mahā-yajñān manasyeva vitanvate ||
Nakula said: “Among the sages, some perform sacrifice in the form of Vedic study; others are devoted to the sacrifice of knowledge. Still others, without outward display, expand great sacrifices within the mind itself—through inward contemplation.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ‘yajña’ is not limited to external ritual: it includes disciplined Vedic study (svādhyāya), the pursuit of liberating knowledge (jñāna), and purely inward worship through mental contemplation. Different temperaments follow different legitimate paths of sacred practice.
Nakula is describing the varied spiritual disciplines practiced by sages—classifying them into those focused on Vedic recitation and study, those centered on knowledge and insight, and those who perform great ‘sacrifices’ internally through meditation—thereby broadening the understanding of religious duty beyond outward rites.