Mahabharata · Chapter 14.93

yajñe saktā nṛpatayastapaḥsakā maharṣayaḥ /
śāntivyavasthitā viprāḥ śame dama iti prabho //

tasmādyajñaphalaistulyaṃ na kiñcidiha dṛśyate /
iti me vartate buddhistathā caitadasaṃśayam //

yajñairiṣṭvā tu bahavo rājāno dvijasattamāḥ /
iha kīrti parāṃ prāpya pretya svargamito gatāḥ //

devarājaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ kratubhirbhūridakṣiṇaiḥ /
devarājyaṃ mahātejāḥka prāptavānakhilaṃ vibhuḥ //

ato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā bhīmārjunapuraḥsaraḥ /
sadṛśo devarājena samṛddhyā vikrameṇa ca //

atha kasmātsa nakulo garhayāmāsa taṃ kratum /
aśvamedhaṃ mahāyajñaṃ rājñastasya mahātmanaḥ //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /

yajñasya vidhimagryaṃ vai phalaṃ cāpi narādhipa /
gadataḥ śṛṇu me rājanyathāvadiha bhārata //

purā śakrasya yajataḥ sarva ūcurmaharṣayaḥ /
ṛtvikṣu karmavyagreṣu vitate yajñakarmaṇi //

hūyamāne tathā vahnau hotrā guṇasamanvite /
devaṣvāhūyamāneṣu sthiteṣu paramarṣiṣu //

supratītaistathā vipraiḥ svāgamaiḥ susvarairnṛpa /
aśrāntaiścāpi laghubhiradhvaryuvṛṣabhaistathā //

ālambhasamaye tasmingṛhīteṣu paśuṣvatha /
maharṣayo mahārāja babhūvuḥ kṛpayā'nvitāḥ //

tato dīnānpaśūndṛṣṭvā ṛṣayaste tapodhanāḥ /
ūcuḥ śakraṃ samāgamya nāyaṃ yajñavidhiḥ śubhaḥ //

aparijñānametatte mahāntaṃ dharmamicchataḥ /
santi yajñe bahuguṇā vidhidṛṣṭāḥ purandara //

dharmopaghātakastveṣa samārambhastava prabho /
nāyaṃ dharmakṛto yajño na hiṃsā dharma ucyate //

āgamenaiva te yajñaṃ kurvantu yadi cecchasi /
vidhidṛṣṭena yajñena dharmaste sumahānbhavet //

yajñaṃ bījaiḥ sahasrākṣa trivarṣaparamoṣiteḥ /
eṣa dharmo mahāñśakra cintayānosi gamyate //

śatakratustu tadvākyamṛṣibhistattvadarśibhiḥ /
uktaṃ na pratijagrāha mānamohavaśaṃ gataḥ //

teṣāṃ vivādaḥ sumahāñśakrayajñe tapasvinām /
jaṅgamaiḥ sthāvarairvā'pi yaṣṭavyamiti bhārata //

te tu khinnā vivādena ṛṣayastattvadarśinaḥ /
abhisandhāya śakreṇa papracchurnṛpatiṃ vasum //

dharmasaṃśayamāpannānsatyaṃ brūhi mahāmate / mahābhāga kathaṃ yajñeṣvāgamo nṛpasattama /
yaṣṭavyaṃ paśubhirmedhyairatho bījairajairiti //

tacchrutvā tu vasusteṣāmavicārya balābalam /
yathopanītairyaṣṭavyamiti provāca pārthivaḥ //

evamuktvā sa nṛpatiḥ praviveśa rasātalam /
uktveha vitathaṃ rājaṃścedīnāmīśvaraḥ prabhuḥ //

tasmānni vācyaṃ hyekena bahujñenāpi saṃśaye /
prajāpatimapāhāya svayambhuvamṛte prabhum //

tena dattāni dānāni pāpenāśuddhabuddhinā /
tāni sarvāṇyanādṛtya naśyanti vipulānyapi //

tasyādharmapravṛttasya hiṃsakasya durātmanaḥ /
dānena kīrtirbhavati na pretyeha ca durmateḥ //

anyāyopagataṃ dravyamabhīkṣṇaṃ yo hyapaṇḍitaḥ /
dharmābhikāṅkṣī tyajati na sa dharmaphalaṃ labhet //

dharmavaitaṃsiko yastu pāpātmā puruṣādhamaḥ /
dadāti dānaṃ viprebhyo lokaviśvāsakāraṇam //

pāpena karmaṇā vipro dhanaṃ prāpya niraṅkuśaḥ /
rāgamohānvitaḥ sonte kaluṣāṃ gatimaśnute //

api sañcayabuddhirhi lobhamohavaśaṃ gataḥ /
yajñaṃ karoti bhūtāni pāpenāśuddhabuddhinā //

evaṃ labdhvā dhanaṃ mohādyo hi dadyādyajeta vā /
na tasya sa phalaṃ pretya bhunkte pāpadhanāgamāt //

uñchaṃ mūlaṃ phalaṃ śākamudapātraṃ tapodhanāḥ /
dānaṃ vibhavato dattvā narāḥ svaryānti dhārmikāḥ //

eṣa dharmo mahāyogo dānaṃ bhūtadayā tathā /
brahmacaryaṃ tathā satyamanukrośo dhṛtiḥ kṣamā //

sanātanasya dharmasya phalametatsanātanam /
śrūyante hi purāvṛttā viśvāmitrādayo nṛpāḥ //

viśvāmitrositaścaivaṃ janasaśca mahīpatiḥ /
kakṣasenārṣṭisenau ca sindhudvīpaśca pārthivaḥ //

ete cānye ca bahavaḥ siddhiṃ paramikāṃ gatāḥ /
nṛpāḥ satyaiśca dānaiśca nyāyalabdhaistapodhanāḥ //

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrā ye cāśritāstapaḥ /
dānadharmāgninā śuddhāste svargaṃ yānti bhārata //