Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
ततस्तं दर्भविन्यासं भित्त्वा सुरुचिरांगद: । प्रलम्बाभरणो बाहुरुदतिष्ठद् विशाम्पते
tatastaṃ darbha-vinyāsaṃ bhittvā surucirāṅgadaḥ | pralambābharaṇo bāhur udatiṣṭhad viśāmpate ||
قال بهيشما: «ثم، يا سيدَ الناس، شقَّ ترتيبَ عشب الدَّربها (darbha) المفروش للطقس ذراعٌ ارتفع إلى الأعلى—ذراعٌ بديع—تتألق عليه الأساورُ والعضائدُ الزاهية، وتتدلى منه حُليٌّ طويلة.»
भीष्म उवाच
The verse underscores the sanctity and potency of dharmic rites: ritual space (here, darbha laid for offerings) is not merely symbolic but a charged setting where extraordinary signs may manifest, reinforcing reverence for prescribed ancestral and sacrificial duties.
During preparations involving darbha grass laid out for a rite (contextually connected with piṇḍa-dāna), something wondrous occurs: an arm, richly ornamented with armlets and hanging jewelry, breaks through the darbha arrangement and rises up, as Bhishma narrates to the addressed king.