Shloka 17
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
तब उन्होंने बहुत वर्षोतक अपने मस्तकपर एक गर्भ धारण किया। जब एक हजार वर्ष बीत गये, तब ब्रह्माजीको छींक आयी और वह गर्भ नीचे गिर पड़ा ।।
tataḥ sa bahuvarṣotkaṁ garbhaṁ mastake dhārayām āsa | yadā sahasraṁ varṣāṇi vyatītāni tadā brahmaṇaḥ kṣut samajāyata sa ca garbho 'dhaḥ papāta || sa kṣupo nāma sambhūtaḥ prajāpatiḥ arindama | ṛtvig āsīn mahārāja yajñe tasya mahātmanaḥ ||
ついで彼は、驚くべき胎を頭上に載せ、幾年も抱え保った。千年が過ぎると、ブラフマー（Brahmā）がくしゃみをし、その胎は下へ落ちた。そこから、敵を屈する者よ、クシュパ（Kṣupa）と名づけられたプラジャーパティ（Prajāpati）が生まれた。大王よ、その大いなる魂をもつブラフマーの祭祀において、クシュパは祭官（ṛtvij）として奉仕したのである。
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the primacy of yajña (ordered ritual action) in sustaining cosmic and social order: even a newly manifested progenitor (Prajāpati) is defined by service within Brahmā’s sacrifice, suggesting that authority and creation are grounded in dharmic function rather than mere birth.
Vasuharoma narrates a marvel: an embryo is borne on the head for a thousand years; when Brahmā sneezes, it falls and a child is born, named Kṣupa. This Kṣupa becomes a Prajāpati and serves as the ṛtvij in Brahmā’s sacrificial rite.