Shloka 14

Devanagari script

छागेनाजेन यष्टव्यमेवमुक्तं वचस्तदा । भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्‌! देवताओंका मत जानकर राजा वसुने उन्हींका पक्ष लेकर कह दिया कि अजका अर्थ है, छाग (बकरा); अतः उसीके द्वारा यज्ञ करना चाहिये ।। १३६ || कुपितास्ते ततः सर्वे मुनय: सूर्यवर्चस:

Transliteration

chāgenājena yaṣṭavyam evam uktaṁ vacas tadā | kupitās te tataḥ sarve munayaḥ sūryavarcasaḥ ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ ഇങ്ങനെ വചനം ഉയർന്നു—‘അജ’ എന്നതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം ‘ഛാഗ’ (ആട്); അതിനാൽ ആടിനാൽ തന്നേ യാഗം ചെയ്യണം. ദേവന്മാരുടെ പക്ഷം പിടിച്ച് രാജാവ് വസു ഇതേ വ്യാഖ്യാനം പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ സൂര്യസമപ്രഭയുള്ള എല്ലാ മുനിമാരും കോപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

छागेनby a goat

अजेनby an aja (goat / unborn / a kind of animal; here ‘goat’ by interpretation)

यष्टव्यम्is to be sacrificed / should be performed (sacrifice should be done)

एवम्thus

उक्तम्said / spoken

वचःspeech; statement

तदाthen

कुपिताःangered

तेthey

ततःthereupon; from that (time)

सर्वेall

मुनयःsages

सूर्यवर्चसःhaving sun-like radiance

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Rājā Vasu

Devatāḥ (the gods)

Munayaḥ (the sages)

Chāga (goat)

Aja (term under dispute)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights how dharma in ritual practice can hinge on interpretation of authoritative words: a single term (“aja”) may be read differently, and choosing an interpretation—especially by aligning with one authority (the gods) against another (the sages)—can carry ethical and social consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s account, King Vasu, after learning the gods’ view, declares that “aja” should be understood as “chāga” (goat) and that the sacrifice should be performed accordingly. This pronouncement provokes the sun-bright sages, who become angry, setting up a conflict over ritual meaning and authority.