Shloka 55
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
भीष्म उवाच इतीदं वसुहोमस्य शृणुयाद् यो मतं नर: । श्रुत्वा सम्यक् प्रवर्तेत सर्वान् कामानवाप्रुयात्
bhīṣma uvāca: itīdaṃ vasuhomasya śṛṇuyād yo mataṃ naraḥ | śrutvā samyak pravarteta sarvān kāmān avāpnuyāt ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, tout homme—et surtout un souverain—qui écoute cet enseignement concernant le Vasu-homa et qui, l’ayant entendu, se conduit avec droiture selon lui, obtient l’accomplissement de tous ses buts et désirs. Le vers souligne que la connaissance rituelle ne porte fruit que jointe à une conduite juste et disciplinée.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hearing sacred instruction is not enough; one must act in accordance with it. When ritual teaching (here, the Vasu-homa doctrine) is combined with proper conduct, it becomes efficacious and leads to the attainment of one’s legitimate aims.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma concludes a section on the Vasu-homa by stating its promised result: a ruler or person who listens to this teaching and then lives by it gains the fulfillment of desires.