Shloka 8
Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
पितरं परिपप्रच्छ दृष्टलोकपरावरम् | को यज्ञ: सर्वयज्ञानां वरिष्ठोडभ्युपलक्ष्यते
pitaraṁ paripapraccha dṛṣṭa-loka-parāvaram | ko yajñaḥ sarva-yajñānāṁ variṣṭho 'bhyupalakṣyate, niṣpāpa nareśa ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Il (Śuka) interrogea son père, le voyant qui contemple directement les sphères hautes et basses du monde (le passé et l’avenir) : “Ô roi sans faute, quel sacrifice est reconnu comme le premier parmi tous les sacrifices ?” À ce propos, je te rapporterai un récit ancien : un jour, le très sage Śukadeva, après avoir accompli ses rites quotidiens et s’être purifié de corps et d’esprit, se prosterna devant son père — Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, le meilleur des ṛṣi, qui voit ce qui fut et ce qui sera — et posa cette question.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: among all forms of yajña (sacred duty and offering), which is truly supreme. It emphasizes that ethical and spiritual priorities should be clarified through respectful questioning of realized elders, after personal purification and disciplined practice.
Bhīṣma begins an old illustrative story. Śukadeva, after completing his daily rites and becoming pure-minded, approaches his father Vyāsa, bows, and asks which yajña is considered the greatest among all sacrifices.