Shloka 28
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
निहतस्य पशोर् यज्ञे स्वर्गप्राप्तिर् यदीष्यते स्वपिता यजमानेन किं नु तस्मान् न हन्यते
nihatasya paśor yajñe svargaprāptir yadīṣyate svapitā yajamānena kiṃ nu tasmān na hanyate
Si l’on prétend que la bête immolée dans le yajña obtient le ciel, alors, par le même raisonnement, pourquoi l’officiant ne frapperait-il pas son propre père ?
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; argumentative critique within a dharma discussion)
FAQs
It challenges the idea that killing in a ritual automatically grants spiritual merit, using a sharp moral analogy to show the inconsistency of that claim.
By applying reasoning to dharma: if a premise leads to an unacceptable conclusion (killing one’s father for ‘heaven’), the premise—violence as inherent merit—must be rejected or reinterpreted.
The verse supports the Purana’s broader stance that true dharma aligns with the Supreme Lord’s order—devotion and righteousness are not validated by harm, but by actions consonant with cosmic and moral law.