बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
ऋषिभिर्यज्ञपटुभिर्यथावत् कर्मकर्तृभि: । समिद्धि: परिसंकीर्ण दीप्यमानैश्व पावकै:
ṛṣibhir yajñapaṭubhir yathāvat karmakartr̥bhiḥ | samiddhiḥ parisaṃkīrṇā dīpyamānaiś ca pāvakaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Quando os ritos são realizados na devida ordem por sábios hábeis no sacrifício — verdadeiros executores da ação sagrada —, a lenha ritual e as oferendas ficam plenamente dispostas e abundantes, e os fogos ardem com brilho intenso.”
भीष्म उवाच
Dharma in ritual life depends on competence and correctness: when qualified sages perform prescribed actions in the proper manner, the sacrificial process becomes orderly and fruitful, symbolized by the fire blazing brightly.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing on dharma and right conduct; here he uses the image of a well-conducted sacrifice—performed by expert ṛṣis—where the fuel and arrangements are complete and the sacred fires burn intensely.