Shloka 35
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
ऋषिभिर्यज्ञपटुभिर्यथावत् कर्मकर्तृभि: । समिद्धि: परिसंकीर्ण दीप्यमानैश्व पावकै:
ṛṣibhir yajñapaṭubhir yathāvat karmakartr̥bhiḥ | samiddhiḥ parisaṃkīrṇā dīpyamānaiś ca pāvakaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Lorsque les rites sont accomplis dans l’ordre prescrit par des sages experts en sacrifice — véritables exécutants de l’acte sacré —, le bois d’allumage et les offrandes sont disposés en plénitude et en abondance, et les feux flambent avec éclat.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma in ritual life depends on competence and correctness: when qualified sages perform prescribed actions in the proper manner, the sacrificial process becomes orderly and fruitful, symbolized by the fire blazing brightly.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing on dharma and right conduct; here he uses the image of a well-conducted sacrifice—performed by expert ṛṣis—where the fuel and arrangements are complete and the sacred fires burn intensely.