Shloka 87
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
द्विजवरो! सुवर्ण सम्पूर्ण पवित्र वस्तुओंमें अतिशय पवित्र है; उसे अग्नि और सोमरूप बताया गया है ।।
Vasiṣṭha uvāca: Dvijavara! suvarṇa-sampūrṇaṃ pavitra-vastūnāṃ madhye ’tiśayaṃ pavitram; tad agni-soma-rūpaṃ proktaṃ. Api cedam purā Rāma śrutaṃ me brahma-darśanam—pitāmahasya yad vṛttaṃ Brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ; tat te ’haṃ kathayiṣyāmi, śṛṇu.
وسِشٹھ نے کہا—اے برہمنوں میں برتر! کامل اور خالص سونا مقدّس چیزوں میں نہایت مقدّس ہے؛ اسے آگنی اور سوم کی فطرت والا بتایا گیا ہے۔ اور اے رام (پرشورام)! میں نے پہلے ‘برہمدرشن’ نامی ایک قدیم حکایت سنی تھی—پرَماتما پِتامہ برہما کے احوال کی—وہی میں تمہیں سناتا ہوں؛ سنو۔
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links material purity to ritual and metaphysical symbolism: pure gold is treated as supremely sacred and is said to embody Agni and Soma, indicating its suitability for sacrificial and dharmic use; it then pivots to a higher teaching—an account of ‘Brahma-darśana’—suggesting that external purity is ultimately oriented toward insight into the Supreme Self.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Rāma (Paraśurāma), first stating a traditional valuation of gold as a sacred substance with Agni–Soma character, and then introduces an ancient story he once heard about Pitāmaha Brahmā and the Supreme Self, announcing that he will now narrate it.