Shloka 30
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
यानि यज्ञेष्विहेज्यन्ति सदा प्राज्ञा द्विजर्षभा: । तेन ते देवयानेन पथा यान्ति महामुने,महामुने! श्रेष्ठ विद्वान् ब्राह्मण सदा ही जिन द्रव्योंको लेकर उनका यज्ञोंमें उपयोग करते हैं, उन्हींके द्वारा वे दिव्य मार्गसे पुण्य लोकोंमें जाते हैं
yāni yajñeṣv iha ijyante sadā prājñā dvijarṣabhāḥ | tena te devayānena pathā yānti mahāmune ||
Dijo Chūlādhāra: «Oh gran sabio, el mejor entre los dos veces nacidos: los prudentes emplean sin cesar ciertas ofrendas en los sacrificios de este mundo. Por esas mismas sustancias sacrificiales avanzan por la “senda de los dioses” y alcanzan reinos celestes de mérito, oh gran asceta.»
चुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ritual action to its karmic result: the wise use proper sacrificial offerings, and through that meritorious act they travel the devayāna—an auspicious, heavenward course—reaching higher worlds. It underscores the ethical idea that disciplined, sanctioned giving/offerings in yajña generate puṇya and shape one’s posthumous destination.
Chūlādhāra addresses a great sage and explains how learned brāhmaṇas, by employing specific substances in sacrificial worship, attain heavenly realms via the ‘path of the gods.’ The statement functions as instruction within the broader Śānti Parva discourse on dharma, conduct, and the fruits of action.