Shloka 2
जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः
The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit
भूगुरुवाच हुतेन शाम्यते पापं स्वाध्यायै: शान्तिरुत्तमा दानेन भोगानित्याहुस्तपसा स्वर्गमाप्तुयात्,भगुजीने कहा--मुने! अग्निहोत्रसे पापका निवारण किया जाता है, स्वाध्यायसे उत्तम शान्ति मिलती है, दानसे भोगोंकी प्राप्ति बतायी गयी है और तपस्यासे मनुष्य स्वर्गलोक प्राप्त कर लेता है
bhṛgur uvāca | hutena śāmyate pāpaṃ svādhyāyaiḥ śāntir uttamā | dānena bhogān ity āhuḥ tapasā svargam āpnuyāt ||
Bhṛgu said: “Sin is pacified by offerings (such as the fire-rite). Through self-study comes the highest inner peace. By giving, people are said to obtain enjoyments and prosperity; and by austerity a person may attain the heavenly world.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Different dharmic disciplines yield distinct fruits: ritual offering pacifies sin, self-study grants the highest peace, charity brings worldly enjoyments/prosperity, and austerity leads to attainment of heaven.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, the sage Bhṛgu states a concise mapping between key religious practices (offering, study, giving, austerity) and their respective results, presenting a graded ethical-ritual framework.