Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 106
यज्ञेऽहिंसा-प्राधान्यम्
Primacy of Non-Harm in Sacrificial Ethics
पायसै: सुमनोभिश्न तस्यापि यजन स्मृतम् । ब्राह्मण तो सम्पूर्ण यज्ञोंमें भगवान् विष्णुका ही आदरभाव मानते हैं और खीर तथा फूल आदिसे ही उनकी पूजाका विधान है
pāyasaiḥ sumanobhiś ca tasyāpi yajanaṃ smṛtam | brāhmaṇāḥ tu samparṇe yajñeṣu bhagavān viṣṇum eva ādara-bhāvena manyante, kṣīra-pāyasa-puṣpādibhiḥ eva ca tasya pūjā-vidhānaṃ smṛtam ||
Bhīṣma said: “It is remembered that even for Him, worship is performed with sweet milk-rice (kheer) and fragrant flowers. In the complete and duly ordained sacrifices, the Brahmins hold the Blessed Lord Viṣṇu alone in reverent honor; and His worship is prescribed through simple offerings such as kheer, flowers, and the like.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within the context of elaborate, fully performed sacrifices, the tradition emphasizes that Viṣṇu is the primary recipient of reverent honor, and that His worship can be rightly fulfilled through pure, simple offerings like milk-rice and flowers—highlighting devotion and intention over extravagance.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he explains ritual and devotional norms: Brahmins conducting complete yajñas still direct their highest reverence to Viṣṇu, and the remembered ordinance (smṛti) prescribes worship with offerings such as pāyasa and flowers.