Shloka 12
ऋत्विग्धर्मः, दक्षिणा-न्यायः, तपसः परमार्थः
Ritvij-Dharma, the Norm of Dakṣiṇā, and the Higher Meaning of Tapas
शक्तिस्तु पूर्णपात्रेण सम्मिता न समाभवत् | अवश्यं तात यष्ट व्यं त्रिभिर्वर्गर्यथाविधि,जहाँ धनी और दरिद्रकी शक्तिका प्रश्न है, उधर भी शास्त्रकी दृष्टि है ही। दोनोंके लिये समान दक्षिणा नहीं रखी गयी है। (दरिद्रकी) शक्तिको पूर्णपात्रसे मापा गया है। अर्थात् जहाँ धनीके लिये बहुत धन देनेका विधान है, वहाँ दरिद्रके लिये एक पूर्णपात्र ही दक्षिणामें देनेका विधान कर दिया है; अतः तात! ब्राह्मण आदि तीनों वर्णोंके लोगोंको अवश्य ही विधिपूर्वक यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करना चाहिये
śaktis tu pūrṇapātreṇa sammitā na samābhavat | avaśyaṃ tāta yaṣṭavyaṃ tribhir vargair yathāvidhi ||
Bhīṣma said: “Capacity to give is not to be measured by the same full measure for everyone. Therefore, dear one, sacrifice must certainly be performed according to rule by the three social orders. Where the question is of a wealthy man and a poor man, the śāstra itself takes account of their differing means: the rich are enjoined to give much, while for the poor a single ‘full vessel’ is prescribed as the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā). Thus, no one is exempt from righteous ritual on the pretext of poverty; duty is adjusted to ability.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is obligatory, but its material demands are scaled to one’s means: the wealthy should give more, while the poor fulfill the rule with a modest, defined offering (a ‘full vessel’).
In the Śānti Parva instruction, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on ritual and giving: śāstra does not impose identical sacrificial fees on rich and poor, yet it still requires eligible social groups to perform sacrifices properly, each according to capacity.