Shloka 4
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
घृतप्रतिग्रहे चैव सावित्री समिदाहुति: । तिलप्रतिग्रहे चैव सममेतद् युधिष्ठिर
ghṛta-pratigrahe caiva sāvitryā samid-āhutiḥ | tila-pratigrahe caiva samam etad yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, when a brāhmaṇa accepts clarified butter (ghee) as a gift, he should offer a fuel-stick (samidh) into the sacred fire while reciting the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī) mantra. When he accepts sesame seeds, the same expiation is to be performed. These two cases are equal.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that accepting certain gifts (notably ghee or sesame) carries a need for ritual purification: the recipient should perform a simple expiatory act—reciting the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī) and offering a fuel-stick into the fire—emphasizing careful, disciplined handling of gifts within dharma.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira about proper conduct for brāhmaṇas regarding the acceptance of donations (pratigraha), specifying an equivalent expiation for receiving ghee and for receiving sesame.