Shloka 21
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
महाभाग कथं यज्ञेष्वागमो नृपसत्तम । यष्टव्यं पशुभिमुख्यैरथो बीजै रसैरिति,“महाभाग नृपश्रेष्ठ! यज्ञोंके विषयमें शास्त्रका मत कैसा है? मुख्य-मुख्य पशुओंद्वारा यज्ञ करना चाहिये अथवा बीजों एवं रसोंद्वारा'
mahābhāga kathaṃ yajñeṣv āgamo nṛpasattama | yaṣṭavyaṃ paśubhir mukhyair atho bījai rasair iti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O greatly fortunate one, O best among kings—what is the scriptural rule regarding sacrifices? Should a sacrifice be performed chiefly with animals, or instead with seeds and liquid offerings?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-ritual inquiry: what do authoritative scriptures prescribe for yajña—animal offerings or non-violent substitutes like grains and liquid oblations—highlighting the tension between ritual tradition and moral concern.
Vaiśampāyana, while narrating, introduces a question addressed to a foremost king, asking for clarification of the śāstric position on how sacrifices should be conducted—by principal animals or by offerings such as seeds and juices.