Shloka 25
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
प्रजा: पशुंश्व स्वर्ग च हन्ति यज्ञो हादक्षिण: । इन्द्रियाणि यश: कीर्तिमायुश्नाप्पवकृन्तति,बिना दक्षिणाका यज्ञ प्रजा और पशुका नाश करता है; और स्वर्गकी प्राप्तिमें भी विघ्न डाल देता है। इतना ही नहीं वह इन्द्रिय, यश, कीर्ति तथा आयुको भी क्षीण करता है
prajāḥ paśūṃś ca svargaṃ ca hanti yajño hy adakṣiṇaḥ | indriyāṇi yaśaḥ kīrtim āyuś cāpi apavakṛntati ||
Bhishma dijo: Un sacrificio realizado sin la debida dádiva (dakṣiṇā) destruye el bienestar del pueblo y la prosperidad del ganado, y además obstaculiza la obtención del cielo. No sólo eso: disminuye el vigor de los sentidos, la reputación, la fama e incluso la duración de la vida. La enseñanza moral es que el rito, separado del dar justo, se vuelve dañino en vez de meritorio.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A yajña must include rightful giving (dakṣiṇā). When ritual is performed without proper generosity and obligation, it becomes ethically defective and yields harmful consequences—loss of social welfare, merit, and personal vitality.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira about the proper conduct and fruits of sacrifice. Here he warns that a sacrifice lacking dakṣiṇā does not produce heavenward merit and instead damages both the community’s well-being and the performer’s own standing and life-force.