Shloka 44
ऋग्यजु:सामवित् पूज्यो नित्यं स्थाद् देववद् द्विज: । अनृग्यजुरसामा च प्राजापत्य उपद्रव: । यज्ञों मनीषया तात सर्ववर्णेषु भारत,ऋतक्, साम और यजुर्वेदका ज्ञाता ब्राह्मण सदा देवताके समान पूजनीय है। दास या शूद्र ऋक, यजु और सामके ज्ञानसे शून्य होता है; तो भी वह “प्राजापत्य” (प्रजापतिका भक्त) कहा गया है। तात! भरतनन्दन! मानसिक संकल्पद्वारा जो भावनात्मक यज्ञ होता है, उसमें सभी वर्णोका अधिकार है
bhīṣma uvāca | ṛgyajuḥsāmavit pūjyo nityaṃ sthād devavad dvijaḥ | anṛgyajur asāmā ca prājāpatya upadravaḥ | yajño manīṣayā tāta sarvavarṇeṣu bhārata ||
Bhishma said: “A twice-born man who knows the Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāman should always be honored—revered like a deity. Even one who lacks the knowledge of Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāman—such as a servant or a Śūdra—may still be called ‘Prājāpatya,’ a devotee aligned with Prajāpati. O dear one, O descendant of Bharata: the sacrifice performed inwardly through intention and understanding—the mental offering—belongs to all social orders.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between (1) the social reverence due to a dvija learned in the three Vedas and (2) the broader spiritual accessibility of inner sacrifice: a mental, intention-based yajña is open to all varṇas, even to those without Vedic study.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhiṣṭhira about religious merit and social honor: Vedic mastery warrants high respect, yet devotion and inward sacrificial practice are not restricted to the Veda-trained classes.