Shloka 17
अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः
Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan
जगदग्निरुवाच यो यजेदश्वमेधेन वाजपेयशतेन ह । अवाक्शिरा वा लम्बेत सत्र॑ वा स्फीतमाहरेत्
Jamadagnir uvāca: yo yajed aśvamedhena vājapeya-śatena ha | avāk-śirā vā lambeta satraṁ vā sphītam āharet | kintu yasya hṛdayaṁ na śuddhaṁ sa pāpī niścayaṁ narakaṁ gacchati | yato yajñaḥ satyaṁ ca hṛdaya-śuddhiś ca trayaḥ samāḥ (tathāpi hṛdaya-śuddhiḥ śreṣṭhā) ||
Jamadagni dijo: “Aunque un hombre celebre el sacrificio del Aśvamedha, o cien ritos Vājapeya; aunque emprenda austeridades severas—colgando de un árbol con la cabeza hacia abajo—o establezca un satra (sesión sacrificial) próspero, si su corazón no es puro, ese pecador irá sin duda al infierno. Pues sacrificio, veracidad y pureza de corazón valen por igual; mas la pureza del corazón es la más alta.”
धौग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
External religious achievements—grand sacrifices or severe austerities—do not redeem a person whose inner disposition is impure. Moral purification of the heart is presented as the highest religious value, even above ritual performance, and it is inseparable from truthfulness.
A sage (Jamadagni) delivers an instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, contrasting prestigious Vedic rites and harsh ascetic practices with the decisive criterion of spiritual worth: purity of heart. The statement functions as ethical counsel, warning that ritual without inner integrity leads to downfall.