Pañcahotṛ-Vidhāna and the Dispute of the Five Vāyus (पञ्चहोतृविधानम् — पञ्चवायूनां श्रेष्ठत्वविवादः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ााभारत आश्वमेधिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत अनुगीतापर्वमें ब्राह्मणगीताविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ २२ ॥। - इस श्लोकका सारांश इस प्रकार समझना चाहिये--पहले आत्मा मनको उच्चारण करनेके लिये प्रेरित करता है
brāhmaṇa uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | subhage pañcahotṝṇāṁ vidhānam iha yādṛśam ||
婆罗门说道:“爱者啊,此处亦援引一则古老的先例。我将依此处所传之教,说出‘五祭官’之祭的规制与次第。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
The verse introduces a didactic move: the speaker grounds instruction about the ‘five-officiant’ sacrificial order in an authoritative ancient precedent (itihāsa), implying that right practice (vidhi) is preserved and validated through tradition.
A Brāhmaṇa, addressing a woman as ‘Subhagā’ (beloved/fortunate), announces that he will recount an old illustrative story and, through it, explain the prescribed arrangement of the pañcahotṛ-sacrifice.