Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
क्षेत्रप्रतिग्रहे चैव ग्रहसूतकयोस्तथा । त्रीणि रात्राण्युपोषित्वा तेन पापाद् विमुच्यते
kṣetrapratigrahe caiva grahasūtakayostathā | trīṇi rātrāṇyupoṣitvā tena pāpād vimucyate ||
Bhīṣma said: “If one accepts a gift of land—especially at the time of an eclipse or during a period of ritual impurity (sūtaka)—one should atone by fasting for three nights; by that observance one is freed from the sin incurred.” The teaching shows dharma’s care for timing and purity in transactions, prescribing a measured penance rather than rejecting social duties outright.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Accepting gifts (especially land) at ritually sensitive times like an eclipse or during sūtaka can generate fault; a specific, limited penance—fasting for three nights—purifies the receiver and removes the resulting demerit.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma is teaching norms of conduct and expiation. Here he gives a practical rule: if one has accepted a land-gift under eclipse-time or impurity conditions, one should perform a three-night fast as atonement.