Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 8
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
इक्षुतैलपवित्राणां त्रिसंध्ये5प्सु निगनज्जनम्
ikṣu-taila-pavitrāṇāṁ tri-sandhye ’psu niganajjanam | gannā, tela aura kuśoṁkā pratigraha svīkāra karane para trikāla snāna karanā cāhiye | dhāna, phūla, phala, jala, pūā, jau-kī lapsī aura dahi-dūdhakā dāna lene para sau bāra gāyatrī-mantrakā japa karanā cāhiye ||
Bhīṣma said: “If one accepts sugarcane, oil, or sacred darbha-grass (kuśa) as a gift, one should perform ritual bathing in water at the three daily junctions—morning, noon, and evening. If one accepts gifts such as grain, flowers, fruits, water, sweet cakes, barley porridge, or curd and milk, one should recite the Gāyatrī mantra one hundred times.” Thus Bhīṣma teaches that receiving (pratigraha) is a disciplined act, to be balanced by purification and mantra, so that livelihood and social exchange remain aligned with dharma.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Receiving gifts is not morally neutral; it carries responsibility. Bhishma teaches that certain accepted items require compensatory purification—either bathing at the three sandhyās or reciting the Gāyatrī 100 times—so that one’s conduct, livelihood, and ritual integrity remain aligned with dharma.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira about proper conduct, specifically the discipline and expiatory practices connected with accepting various kinds of gifts (pratigraha).