Shloka 16
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
ये च भागं प्रगृह्नन्ति यज्ेषु द्विजसत्तम । ते यजन्तो महायज्ञै: कस्य भागं ददन्ति वै
ye ca bhāgaṃ pragṛhṇanti yajñeṣu dvijasattama | te yajanto mahāyajñaiḥ kasya bhāgaṃ dadanti vai brāhmaṇa-śiromaṇe ||
Janamejaya hỏi: “Bạch bậc tối thượng trong hàng song sinh, những thần linh nhận phần lễ trong các tế đàn—khi chính họ cử hành những đại tế—thì họ dâng phần ấy cho ai? Bạch bậc châu ngọc của giới Bà-la-môn!”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a theological-ethical inquiry into the hierarchy of offering: if gods are recipients of sacrificial portions, then when they act as sacrificers, there must be an ultimate recipient or principle that grounds the sacrificial economy. It invites reflection on the source of divine authority and the final destination of ritual merit.
In the Shanti Parva’s didactic setting, King Janamejaya questions a learned Brahmin: deities accept offerings in human sacrifices, but if those same deities perform great sacrifices, to whom do they offer? The question sets up an explanation about the structure of yajña and the supreme recipient beyond ordinary recipients.