Shloka 20
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
कपिल उवाच दर्श च पौर्णमासं च अग्निहोत्रं च धीमत: । चातुर्मास्यानि चैवासंस्तेषु धर्म: सनातन:
kapila uvāca: darśaṁ ca paurṇamāsaṁ ca agnihotraṁ ca dhīmataḥ | cāturmāsyāni caivāsaṁs teṣu dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Kapila dit : Pour l’homme sage sont prescrites les observances des rites de nouvelle lune et de pleine lune, l’Agnihotra quotidien, ainsi que les sacrifices saisonniers de Cāturmāsya ; car dans ces rites se maintient et se rend manifeste l’ordre éternel du dharma.
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kapila emphasizes that certain Vedic rites—new-moon and full-moon sacrifices, the daily Agnihotra, and the seasonal Cāturmāsya—are not mere formalities but supports of sanātana-dharma, sustaining an enduring moral and cosmic order through disciplined, prescribed action.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Kapila is explaining to his listener(s) the place of orthodox ritual duties within dharma, listing key sacrifices and stating that the eternal dharma is established in them.