Shloka 28
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
उदितास्तमितो यश्व तथैवास्तमितोदित: । अहिंस्नश्वाल्पदोषश्न स राजन् केतनक्षम:
uditāstamito yaśva tathaivāstamitoditaḥ | ahiṁsnaś cālpadoṣaś ca sa rājan ketanakṣamaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: O König, ein Brahmane, dessen weltliche Stellung steigt und fällt—bald erhöht, bald gemindert und dann wieder erhöht—der jedoch keinem lebenden Wesen Gewalt antut, ist würdig, zu den śrāddha-Riten eingeladen zu werden, selbst wenn er geringe Fehler trägt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Non-violence and fundamental moral character outweigh fluctuating social status and minor personal faults when judging a person’s ritual worthiness—especially for being invited to śrāddha.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct, he explains criteria for inviting a Brahmin to śrāddha, emphasizing ahiṁsā and basic integrity over external rise-and-fall in fortune.