Shloka 11
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
यज्ञात् प्रजा प्रभवति नभसो<म्भ इवामलम् | अग्नौ प्रास्ताहुतिर्ब्रह्मन्नादित्यमुपगच्छति
yajñāt prajā prabhavati nabhaso 'mbha ivāmalam | agnau prāstāhutir brahmann ādityam upagacchati ||
From sacrifice, living beings come forth, just as pure water arises from the sky. And, O brāhmaṇa, the oblation cast into the fire goes on to reach the Sun. Thus the act of offering is shown as a link in the cosmic order that sustains life and returns nourishment to the world.
चुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents yajña (sacrificial offering) as part of a moral-cosmic reciprocity: offerings sustain the divine and natural processes, which in turn sustain living beings—like rain-water descending from the sky. Ethical action is thus aligned with maintaining the world’s order.
Cūlādhāra addresses a brāhmaṇa and explains how sacrificial oblations placed in fire are understood to reach the Sun, linking human ritual action to the broader cycle of rain and the generation of creatures. The statement supports a discussion on dharma and the true efficacy/meaning of ritual.