Shloka 36
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अपवर्गे तु वैश्यस्य श्राद्धकर्मणि भारत । अक्षय्यमभिधातव्यं स्वस्ति शूद्रस्य भारत
apavarge tu vaiśyasya śrāddhakarmaṇi bhārata | akṣayyam abhidhātavyaṃ svasti śūdrasya bhārata ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Bharata, am Ende der śrāddha-Riten im Haus eines Vaiśya soll man den Segensspruch ‘akṣayyam’ sprechen — ‘möge die Gabe unvergänglich sein’. Und am Ende der śrāddha im Haus eines Śūdra, o Bharata, ist es angemessen, ‘svasti’ zu sagen — ‘möge Wohlergehen sein’.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual dharma includes the correct concluding benedictions: for a Vaiśya’s śrāddha one says ‘akṣayyam’ (may the merit/gift be imperishable), while for a Śūdra’s śrāddha one says ‘svasti’ (may there be auspicious well-being). Proper speech is treated as part of proper conduct.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira within the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma teachings, he specifies the appropriate closing utterances to be pronounced at the end of śrāddha ceremonies for different social groups, reflecting ritual convention and social duty.