Shloka 16
ब्राह्मण–क्षत्रिय-श्रेष्ठता-विवादः
Arjuna–Vāyu Dialogue on Brāhmaṇa and Kṣatriya Precedence
ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य अथवा शूद्र यदि उपवासपूर्वक एक वर्षतक इस प्रकार हमारे लिये बलिदान करे तो उसका महान् फल होता है। बाँबीके निकट बलि अर्पित करनेपर वह हमारे लिये अधिक फल देनेवाला माना गया है ।।
reṇukovāca | brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyo athavā śūdro yady upavāsapūrvakam eka-varṣaṃ yathā-vidhi asmākaṃ kṛte balidānaṃ kuryāt, tasya mahān phalaṃ bhavati | bāmbī-samīpe baliṃ nivedayitvā tad asmākaṃ kṛte ’dhika-phala-pradaṃ manyate || ye ca nāgā mahā-vīryāḥ triṣu lokeṣu kṛtsnaśaḥ, kṛtātithyā bhaveyus te śataṃ varṣāṇi tattvataḥ ||
Reṇuk disse: “Seja brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya ou śūdra—se, após assumir o jejum, ele realizar por um ano inteiro a oferenda prescrita de bali em nosso favor, o fruto é grandioso. E quando o bali é apresentado perto de um formigueiro (valmīka), considera-se ainda mais frutífero para nós. De fato, todos os poderosos Nāgas por todos os três mundos tornam-se verdadeiramente honrados e bem recebidos por cem anos mediante este ato de oferenda.”
रेणुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined, sustained giving—performed with self-restraint (fasting) and proper ritual attention—produces great merit, and that honoring even non-human beings (Nāgas) through appropriate offerings is ethically framed as a form of hospitality and respect.
Reṇuka explains the fruit of a year-long bali-offering performed for the Nāgas, noting that offering near an anthill is considered especially efficacious, and that this act results in the Nāgas across the three worlds being truly honored for a hundred years.