Shloka 19
Adhyāya 353 — Kathā-prāmāṇya (Authority of Transmission) and the Brāhmaṇa’s Ascetic Resolve
यद् वै सूते धातुराद्य॑ विधान तद् वै विप्रा: प्रवदन्ते5निरुद्धम् । यद् वै लोके वैदिकं कर्म साधु आशीरयुक्त तद्धि तस्यैव भाव्यम्
yad vai sūte dhātur ādyam vidhānaṁ tad vai viprāḥ pravadanty aniruddham | yad vai loke vaidikaṁ karma sādhu āśīr-yuktaṁ tad dhi tasyaiva bhāvyam ||
Bhishma said: “That primal ordinance which the Creator brings forth—learned Brahmins declare that very principle to be ‘Aniruddha’, the Unobstructed One. And whatever good Vedic rites are performed in the world with desire for results and accompanied by blessings, one should understand them as meant solely for the satisfaction of that Aniruddha, the inner Self.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
All Vedic and righteous actions—even when performed with desire for results and accompanied by blessings—should be contemplated as ultimately directed toward pleasing the ‘Aniruddha’, the unobstructed inner divine principle identified with the primal cosmic ordinance.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he explains a theological interpretation of ritual and cosmic order: the Creator’s primordial dispensation is named ‘Aniruddha’ by the learned, and worldly Vedic rites are to be understood as oriented toward that supreme inner reality.