Mahabharata · Chapter 12.79
kva samarthāḥ kathaṃśīlā ṛtvijaḥ syuḥ pitāmaha /
kathaṃvidhāśca rājendra tadbrūhi vadatāṃ vara //
bhīṣma uvāca /
pratikarmaparā rājanvṛttirasya vidhīyate /
chandaḥ sāmādi vijñāya dvijānāṃ śrutamevaca //
ye tvekaratayo nityaṃ dhīrāśca priyavādinaḥ /
parasparasya suhṛdaḥ samantātsamadarśinaḥ //
ānṛśaṃsyaṃ satyavākyamahiṃsā dama ārjavam /
adroho'nabhimānaśca hrīstitikṣā damaḥ śamaḥ //
yasminnetāni dṛśyante sa purohita ucyate / dhīmānsatyadhṛtirdānto bhūtānāmavihiṃsakaḥ /
akāmadveṣasaṃyuktastribhiḥ śuklaiḥ samanvitaḥ //
ahiṃsako jñānatṛptaḥ sa brahmāsanamarhati /
ete mahartvijastāta sarve mānyā yathārhataḥ //
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca /
yadidaṃ vedavacanaṃ dakṣiṇāsu vidhīyate /
idaṃ deyamidaṃ deyaṃ na kvacivdyavatiṣṭhate //
deyaṃ pratidhanaṃ śāstramāpaddharmā na śāstrataḥ /
ājñā śāstrasya ghore yaṃ na śaktiṃ samavekṣate //
śraddhāmālambya yaṣṭavyamityeṣā vaidikī śrutiḥ /
mithyopetasya yajñasya kimu śraddhā kariṣyati //
bhīṣma uvāca /
na vedānāṃ paribhavānna śāṭhyena na māyayā /
kaścinmahadavāpnoti mā te bhūdbuddhirīdṛśī //
yajñāṅgaṃ dakṣiṇā tāta mantrāṇāṃ paribṛṃhaṇam /
na mantrā dakṣiṇāhīnāstārayanti kathañcana //
śaktistu pūrṇapātreṇa sammitā nāvamā bhavet /
avaśyaṃ tāta yaṣṭavyaṃ tribhirvarṇairthathābalam //
somo rājā brāhmaṇānāmityeṣā vaidikī śrutiḥ /
taṃ ca vikretumicchanti na tathā vṛttiriṣyate //
tena krītena dharmeṇa tato yajñaḥ pratāyate /
ityevaṃ dharmamākhyātamṛṣibhirdharmakovidaiḥ //
pumānyajñaśca somaśca nyāyavṛtto yadā bhavet /
anyāyavṛttaḥ puruṣo na parasya na cātmanaḥ //
śarīraṃ yajñapātrāṇi ityeṣā śrūyate śrutiḥ /
tāni samyakpraṇītāni brāhmaṇānāṃ mahātmanām //
tapo yajñādapi śreṣṭhamityeṣā paramā śrutiḥ /
tatte tapaḥ pravakṣyāmi vidvaṃstadapi me śṛṇu //
ahiṃsā satyavacanamānṛśaṃsyaṃ damo ghṛṇā /
etattapo vidurdhīrā na śarīrasya śoṣaṇam //
aprāmāṇyaṃ ca vedānāṃ śāstrāṇāṃ cātilaṅghanam /
avyavasthā ca sarvatra tadvai nāśanamātmanaḥ //
nibodha daśahotṝṇāṃ vidhānaṃ pārtha yādṛśam / cittiḥ sruk cittamājyaṃ ca pavitraṃ jñānamuttamam /
na śāṭhyaṃ na ca jihyatvaṃ kālo deśaśca te daśa //
sarvaṃ dihnaṃ mṛtyupadamārjavaṃ brahmaṇaḥ padam /
etāvāñjñānaviṣayaḥ kiṃ pralāpaḥ kariṣyati //
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