Shloka 12
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
ऋषय ऊचु: धान्यैर्यष्टव्यमित्येव पक्षो5स्माकं नराधिप
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ: dhānyair yaṣṭavyam ity eva pakṣo ’smākaṃ narādhipa
ਰਿਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—“ਹੇ ਨਰਾਧਿਪ! ਸਾਡਾ ਪੱਕਾ ਮਤ ਇਹੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਯਜ्ञ ਧਾਨਿਆਂ (ਅੰਨ) ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The sages assert a normative ritual-ethical stance: sacrificial worship should be conducted through proper, non-violent and sanctioned offerings—here, grains—emphasizing adherence to dharma and correct means in religious practice.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, he reports the sages’ statement addressed to a king: they declare their settled view that the sacrifice ought to be performed using grains, indicating a debate or clarification about what constitutes proper sacrificial offering.