Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 12
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितृणां यत्र गुह्यानि प्रोच्यन्ते श्राद्धकर्मणि । देवतानां च सर्वेषां रहस्यं कथ्यतेडखिलम्
bhīṣma uvāca | pitṝṇāṁ yatra guhyāni procyante śrāddhakarmaṇi | devatānāṁ ca sarveṣāṁ rahasyaṁ kathyate ’khilam |
Bhishma said: “In that teaching are disclosed the hidden principles concerning the śrāddha rites for the ancestors; and there, too, the complete inner meaning of all the gods is explained—setting forth, with its esoteric rationale, the great and fruit-bearing dharma of the seers, as well as the results of major sacrifices and of every kind of gift.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a body of instruction that reveals the esoteric rationale of śrāddha for the ancestors and the inner meaning of the gods, emphasizing that ritual, charity, and seers’ dharma are not merely external acts but carry specific moral-spiritual consequences (phala) when performed with proper understanding.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he points to a teaching/textual section that comprehensively explains the hidden aspects of ancestral rites, divine mysteries, and the merits of great sacrifices and gifts, framing it as authoritative guidance for righteous conduct.