Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 109
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
अग्निहोत्रपरिस्पन्दो धर्मरात्रिसमासनम् | सोमयज्ञाभ्यनुज्ञानं पञज्चमी यज्ञदक्षिणा
agnihotra-parispando dharma-rātri-samāsanam | soma-yajñābhyanujñānaṁ pañcamī yajña-dakṣiṇā ||
Wika ni Śrī Maheshvara: “Ang wastong pagsasagawa ng Agnihotra, ang matatag na pakikibahagi sa Dharma-satra (ang ‘gabi’ ng katuwiran, ibig sabihi’y tuluy-tuloy na pagtalima), ang pagpayag at pagsasakatuparan ng Soma-handog, ang kaalaman sa paraan ng paghahandog, at ang pagbibigay ng dakṣiṇā (kabayarang panghandog)—ang limang tungkuling ito ay iniutos na kinakailangan.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse enumerates five indispensable components of Vedic religious duty: regular Agnihotra, sustained commitment to a dharma-assembly/observance, sanctioned performance of the Soma sacrifice, correct knowledge of ritual procedure, and the ethical obligation to give dakṣiṇā—ensuring that worship is disciplined, informed, and socially responsible.
Maheśvara is presented as instructing about dharma through the lens of sacrificial practice, listing the required acts that complete and validate yajña—moving from personal daily rite (Agnihotra) to major sacrifice (Soma-yajña) and culminating in dakṣiṇā, the duty of giving.