Mahabharata · Chapter 12.274
avirodhena bhūtānāṃ tyāgaḥ ṣāṅguṇyakārakaḥ /
yaḥ syādumayabhāgdharmastanme brūhi pitāmaha //
gārhasthyasya ca dharmasya yogadharmasya cobhayoḥ /
adūrasamprasthitayoḥ kiṃsvicchreyaḥ pitāmaha //
bhīṣma uvāca /
ubhau dharmau mahābhāgāvṛbhau paramaduścarau /
ubhau nahāphalau tau tu sadbhirācaritāvubhau //
ava te vartayiṣyāsi prāmāṇyamubhayostayoḥ /
śuṇuṣvaikamatāḥ pārtha cchinnadharmārthasaṃśayam //
atrāpyudāharantīmamitihāsaṃ purātanam /
kapilasya gośca saṃvādaṃ tannibodha yudhiṣṭhira //
āmnāyamanupaśyanhi purāṇaṃ śāśvataṃ dhruvam /
nahuṣaḥ pūrvamālebhe tvaṣṭurgāmiti naḥ śrutam //
tāṃ niyuktāmadīnātmā satvasthaḥ saṃyame rataḥ /
jñānavānniyatāhāro dadarśa kapilastathā //
sa buddhimuttamāṃ prāpto naiṣṭhikīmakutobhayām /
svareṇa śithilāṃ satyāṃ vedā 3 ityabravītsakṛt //
tāṃ gāmṛṣiḥ syūmaraśmiḥ praviśya yatimabravīt /
haṃho vedā 3 yadi matā dharmāḥ kenāpare matāḥ //
tapasvino dhṛtimataḥ śrutivijñānacakṣuṣaḥ /
sarvamārṣaṃ hi manyante vyāhṛtaṃ viditātmanaḥ //
tasyaivaṃ gatatṛṣṇasya vijvarasya nirāśiṣaḥ /
kā vivakṣā'sti vedeṣu nirārambhasya sarvataḥ //
kapila uvāca /
nāhaṃ vedānvinindāmi na vivakṣyāmi karhicit /
pṛthagāśramiṇāṃ karmāṇyekārthānīti naḥ śrutam //
gacchatyeva parityāgī vānaprasthaśca gacchati /
gṛhastho brahmacārī ca ubhau tāvapi gacchataḥ //
devayānā hi panthānaścatvāraḥ śāśvatā matāḥ /
naiṣāṃ jyāyaḥ kanīyastvaṃ phaleṣūktaṃ balābalam //
evaṃ viditvā sarvārthānārabheteti vaidikam /
nārabheteti cānyatra naiṣṭhikī śrūyate śrutiḥ //
anārambhe hyadoṣaḥ syādārambhe doṣa uttamaḥ /
evaṃ sthitasya śāstrasya durvijñeyaṃ balābalam //
yadatra kiñcitpratyakṣamahiṃsāyāḥ paraṃ matam /
ṛte tvāgamaśāstrebhyo brūhi tadyadi paśyasi //
syūmaraśmiruvāca /
svargakāmo yajeteti satataṃ śrūyate śrutiḥ /
phalaṃ prakalpya pūrvaṃ hi tato yajñaḥ pratāyate //
ajaścāśvaśca meṣaśca rgauśca pakṣigaṇāśca ye /
grāmyāraṇyāścauṣadhayaḥ prāṇasyānnamiti śrutiḥ //
tathaivānnaṃ hyaharahaḥ sāyamprātarnirūpyate /
paśavaścātha dhānyaṃ ca yajñasyāṅgamiti śrutiḥ //
etāni saha yajñena prajāpatirakalpayat /
tena prajāpatirdevānyajñenāyajata prabhuḥ //
tadanyonyavarāḥ sarve prāṇinaḥ saptasapta ca //
gaurajo manujaḥ śvā vā aśvāśvataragardabhāḥ /
ete grāmyāḥ samākhyātāḥ paśavaḥ sapta sādhubhiḥ //
siṃhā vyāghrā varāhāśca mahiṣā vāraṇāstathā / hariṇaḥ śalalāścaiva saptāraṇyāstathā smṛtāḥ //
yajñeṣūpākṛtaṃ viśvaṃ prāhuruttamasañjñitam //
etaccaivābhyanujñātaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraistathā /
ko jātu na vicinvīta vidvānsvāṃ śaktimātmanaḥ //
paśavaśca manuṣyāśca drumāścauṣadhibhiḥ saha /
svargamevābhikāṅkṣante na ca svargosti te makhāt //
oṣadhyaḥ paśavo vṛkṣā vīrudājyaṃ payo dadhi /
havirbhūmirdiśaḥ śraddhā kālaścaitāni dvādaśa //
ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni ṛtvijaścāpi ṣoḍaśa /
agnirjñeyo gṛhapatiḥ sa saptadaśa ucyate //
aṅgānyetāni yajñasya yajño mūlamiti śrutiḥ /
ājyena payasā dadhnā śakṛtā'mikṣayā tvacā //
bālaiḥ śṛṅgeṇa pādena sambhavatyeva gaurmakham /
evaṃ pratyakeśaḥ sarvaṃ yadyadasya vidhīyate //
yajñaṃ vahanti sambhūya sahatvingbhiḥ sadakṣiṇaiḥ /
saṃhṛtyaitāni sarvāṇi yajñaṃ nirvartayantyuta //
yajñārthāni hi sṛṣṭāni yathārthā śrūyate śrutiḥ /
evaṃ pūrvatarāḥ pūrve pravṛttāścaiva mānavāḥ //
na hinasti nārabhate nābhidruhyati kiñcana /
yajñairyaṣṭavyamityeva yo yajatyaphalepsayā //
yajñāṅgānyapi caitāni yathoktānyapi sarvaśaḥ /
vidhinā vidhiyuktāni tārayanti parasparam //
āmnāyamārṣaṃ paśyāmi yasminvedāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ /
taṃ vidvāṃso'nupaśyanti brāhmaṇasyānudarśanāt //
brāhmaṇaprabhavo yajño brāhmaṇārpaṇa eva ca /
anuyajñaṃ jagatsarvaṃ yajñaścānujagatsadā //
omiti brahmaṇo yonirnamaḥ svāhā svadhā vaṣaṭ /
yasyaitāni prayujyante yathāśakti kṛtānyapi //
na tasya triṣu lokeṣu paralokabhayaṃ viduḥ /
iti vedā vadantīha siddhāśca paramarṣayaḥ //
ṛco yajūṃhi sāmāni stotrāśca vidhicoditāḥ /
yasminnetāni sarvāṇi bhavantīha sa vai dvijaḥ //
agnyādheye yadbhavati yacca some sute dvija /
yaccetarairmahāyajñairveda tadbhagavāṃstathā //
tasmādbrahmanyajeccaiva yājayeccāvicārayan /
yajato yajñavidhinā pretya svargaphalaṃ mahat //
nāyaṃ lokostyayajñānāṃ paraśceti viniścayaḥ /
vedavādavidaścaiva pramāṇamubhayaṃ tadā //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0