Shloka 7
Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
ऋषीणामुत्तमं धीमान् कृष्णद्वैपायनं शुक: । अभिवाद्याह्विककृतः शुचि: प्रयतमानस:
Bhīṣma uvāca: Ṛṣīṇām uttamaṁ dhīmān Kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaṁ Śukaḥ | abhivādyāhvikakṛtaḥ śuciḥ prayatamānasaḥ, niṣpāpa nareśa! asmin viṣaye ’haṁ te purāṇaṁ vṛttāntaṁ śrāvayiṣyāmi | ekadā paramabuddhimān Śukadevaḥ nityakarmaṇo ’nuṣṭhānaṁ kṛtvā pavitraḥ śuddhacitto bhūtvā pitaram—ṛṣīṇām uttamaṁ Śrī-Kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaṁ Vyāsaṁ, yaḥ lokasya bhūta-bhaviṣyaṁ pratyakṣaṁ paśyati—praṇamya papraccha: “pitāḥ! sarveṣu yajñeṣu kaḥ yajñaḥ śreṣṭhatamaḥ dṛśyate?”
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi sans faute, je te rapporterai un récit ancien à ce sujet. Un jour, le très intelligent Śukadeva — après avoir achevé ses rites quotidiens, devenu pur et l’esprit maîtrisé — s’approcha de son père, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana Vyāsa, le premier des ṛṣi, dont on dit qu’il voit directement dans le monde ce qui fut et ce qui sera. Après s’être incliné, Śuka demanda : “Père, parmi tous les sacrifices, lequel est reconnu comme le plus élevé ?”»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as something to be approached through disciplined practice (daily rites, purity of mind) and humble inquiry to a qualified teacher; it prepares the ground for evaluating which forms of yajña (sacred duty/sacrifice) are truly ‘highest’ in ethical and spiritual terms.
Bhishma tells the king he will recount an ancient episode: Śukadeva, after completing his daily observances, respectfully bows to his father Vyāsa and asks a doctrinal question—among all sacrifices, which is considered the श्रेष्ठतम (highest).