Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 3
दानशील-समाचारः, सत्कारः, अहिंसा च
Umā–Maheśvara Saṃvāda
एतेन विधिना मर्त्य: श्रद्धधान: समाहित: । चतुरो वार्षिकान् मासान् यो ददाति तिलोदकम्
Dhaumya uvāca: etena vidhinā martyaḥ śraddadhānaḥ samāhitaḥ | caturo vārṣikān māsān yo dadāti tilodakam ||
Dhaumya said: By following this prescribed rite, a mortal who is full of faith and mentally collected—who, for the four months of the rainy season, offers libations of water mixed with sesame to the ancestors—gains great religious merit. The teaching emphasizes disciplined, sustained ancestral duty (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) performed with sincerity and concentration, rather than mere display, as a powerful means of accruing dharmic fruit.
धौग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained ancestral duty performed according to scriptural injunction—especially with śraddhā (faith) and samādhāna (mental focus)—yields substantial dharmic merit; inner sincerity and regular practice are central.
The speaker Dhaumya is instructing about a specific rite: during the four rainy-season months, a person should offer sesame-mixed water as libations to the ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa), presenting it as a highly meritorious observance.