कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
समानां श्रद्धधानानां संयतानां सुचेतसाम् । कुर्वतां यज्ञ इत्येव न यज्ञो जातु नेष्यते,“जो हानि और लाभमें समान भाव रखनेवाले, श्रद्धालु, संयमी और शुद्ध चित्तवाले पुरुष हैं तथा यज्ञको कर्तव्य समझकर करते हैं, उनका यज्ञ कभी असफल नहीं होता
samānāṁ śraddadhānānāṁ saṁyatānāṁ sucetasām | kurvatāṁ yajña ity eva na yajño jātu neṣyate ||
समानानां लाभालाभयोः श्रद्धधानानां संयतानां सुचेतसाम्। यज्ञं कर्तव्यमित्येव कुर्वतां यज्ञो जातु न नश्यति।
भीष्म उवाच
A sacrifice succeeds when grounded in inner qualities—equanimity toward gain and loss, faith, self-restraint, and purity of mind—and when performed as duty rather than as a bargain for results.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, emphasizing that the efficacy of yajña depends on the performer’s disciplined intention and mental steadiness, not merely on external ritual factors.