Shloka 55
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
भीष्म उवाच इतीदं वसुहोमस्य शृणुयाद् यो मतं नर: । श्रुत्वा सम्यक् प्रवर्तेत सर्वान् कामानवाप्रुयात्
bhīṣma uvāca: itīdaṃ vasuhomasya śṛṇuyād yo mataṃ naraḥ | śrutvā samyak pravarteta sarvān kāmān avāpnuyāt ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Oh Yudhiṣṭhira, cualquier hombre—y en especial un gobernante—que escuche esta enseñanza acerca del Vasu-homa y que, tras oírla, se conduzca rectamente conforme a ella, alcanza el cumplimiento de todos sus fines y deseos. El verso subraya que el saber ritual sólo da fruto cuando va unido a una conducta justa y disciplinada».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hearing sacred instruction is not enough; one must act in accordance with it. When ritual teaching (here, the Vasu-homa doctrine) is combined with proper conduct, it becomes efficacious and leads to the attainment of one’s legitimate aims.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma concludes a section on the Vasu-homa by stating its promised result: a ruler or person who listens to this teaching and then lives by it gains the fulfillment of desires.