Shloka 22
Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse
त्वं हि यज्ञो$क्षर: सर्वस्त्वं धर्मस्त्वं प्रजापति: । त्वं गति: सर्वभूतानामिति मे निश्चिता मतिः,“आप ही यज्ञ, अक्षर, सर्वस्वरूप, धर्म, प्रजापति एवं सम्पूर्ण भूतोंकी गति हैं--यह मेरी निश्चित धारणा है”
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
tvaṃ hi yajño 'kṣaraḥ sarvas tvaṃ dharmas tvaṃ prajāpatiḥ |
tvaṃ gatiḥ sarvabhūtānām iti me niścitā matiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Tu es le sacrifice lui-même ; tu es l’Imperissable, la réalité qui embrasse tout. Tu es le Dharma ; tu es Prajāpati, seigneur des créatures. Tu es le refuge et le terme ultime de tous les êtres : telle est ma conviction arrêtée.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a theologically charged ethical vision: the supreme addressee is identified with yajña (sacred duty and offering), akṣara (the imperishable absolute), dharma (moral-cosmic law), and prajāpati (creative lordship). Thus, righteousness and sacrificial responsibility are not merely social acts but participate in the ultimate reality, which is also the final refuge (gati) of all beings.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, reports a statement of reverential praise in which the speaker addresses a supreme figure as the essence of sacrifice, dharma, and creation, concluding with a firm personal conviction that this being is the ultimate destination of all creatures. The tone is devotional and doctrinal, framing the ongoing events within a cosmic and moral horizon.