Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13

Strī-dharma: Śiva’s Inquiry, Umā’s Consultation, and Gaṅgā’s Instruction

Devanagari script

अग्निष्टोमं च यो यज्ञ यजेत बहुदक्षिणम्‌ । तिलपात्र॑ सहैतेन सम॑ मन्यन्ति देवता:

Transliteration

agniṣṭomaṃ ca yo yajñaṃ yajeta bahudakṣiṇam | tilapātraṃ sahaitena samaṃ manyanti devatāḥ ||

Translation

“Ang sinumang nagsasagawa ng sakripisyong Agniṣṭoma na may saganang dakṣiṇā (handog na kabayaran)—ay itinuturing ng mga diyos na tumatanggap ng kabutihang-loob na kapantay ng pag-aalay ng sisidlang punô ng linga.”

Word by Word

• {'agniṣṭomam': 'Agniṣṭoma

• a principal Soma-sacrifice (a major Vedic rite)', 'yajñam': 'sacrifice

• ritual offering', 'yo': 'who

• whoever', 'yajeta': 'should perform

• would perform (optative of √yaj)', 'bahu-dakṣiṇam': 'with many/abundant dakṣiṇās

• rich in priestly fees and gifts', 'tila': 'sesame (often used in śrāddha and gifts

• symbolically purifying)', 'pātram': 'vessel

• container', 'tilapātram': 'a vessel (given in charity) containing sesame', 'saha etena': 'together with this

• in comparison with this', 'samam': 'equal

• on a par', 'manyanti': 'they consider

• they deem', 'devatāḥ': 'the gods

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice)
• tilapātra (sesame-vessel gift)
• devatāḥ (gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that a seemingly simple act of charity—donating a sesame-filled vessel (tilapātra)—can be spiritually equivalent in merit to performing a major Vedic sacrifice like the Agniṣṭoma with abundant fees, emphasizing the ethical power of dāna.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on gifts and religious duties, the speaker explains the fruit of tilapātra-dāna, stating that the gods themselves regard it as equal in merit to an Agniṣṭoma sacrifice performed with large dakṣiṇās.