Shloka 18
नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व
स्यूमराश्मिर्वाच स्वर्गकामो यजेतेति सतत श्रूयते श्रुति: । फलं प्रकल्प्य पूर्व हि ततो यज्ञ: प्रतायते
syūmarāśmir uvāca: svargakāmo yajeteti satataṁ śrūyate śrutiḥ | phalaṁ prakalpya pūrvaṁ hi tato yajñaḥ pratāyate ||
Syūmarāśmi nói: “Thánh ngôn (Śruti) vẫn luôn được nghe rằng: ‘Ai mong thiên giới thì hãy làm tế lễ (yajña).’ Vì thế con người trước hết hình dung và lập ý về quả—thiên giới—rồi mới khởi sự nghi lễ tế tự.”
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that many Vedic sacrifices are commonly undertaken with a prior intention for a specific reward—especially heaven. It points to the ethical issue of motivation: action (yajña) is often driven by desire for phala (result), not merely by disinterested duty.
In the Shanti Parva’s philosophical discussion, the speaker cites a well-known Vedic injunction—‘one who desires heaven should sacrifice’—to explain how ritual practice typically begins: first the sacrificer mentally fixes the desired fruit, and then the ritual is initiated.