Shloka 104
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
अड््गुष्ठस्य च यन्मध्यं प्रदेशिन्याश्व॒ भारत । तेन पित्र्याणि कुर्वीत स्पृष्टवापो न्न्यायत: सदा
aṅguṣṭhasya ca yan madhyaṃ pradeśinyāś ca bhārata | tena pitryāṇi kurvīta spṛṣṭvāpo nyāyataḥ sadā bhārata ||
Bhishma sprach: „O Bharata, der Raum zwischen Daumen und Zeigefinger heißt pitṛ-tīrtha (der heilige Punkt für die Ahnen). Indem man ihn benutzt—Wasser nach der Vorschrift schöpfend—soll man stets die Riten für die Pitṛs gemäß der rechten Regel vollziehen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches a practical rule of ritual conduct: the space between the thumb and index finger is designated as the pitṛ-tīrtha, and water taken/handled through that point should be used to perform ancestral rites properly and regularly.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including śrāddha and pitṛ-karmas. Here he specifies the bodily ‘tīrtha’ (hand position) used when offering water to the ancestors, emphasizing correct procedure (nyāyataḥ).