Shloka 40
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
तारयेत कुलं सर्वमेको5पीह द्विजोत्तम: । किमज़ पुनरेवैते तस्मात् पात्रं समाचरेत्,(तृप्ते तृप्ता: सर्व देवा: पितरो मुनयो5पि च ।) एक भी उत्तम ब्राह्मण श्राद्धकर्ताके समस्त कुलको तार सकता है। यदि उपर्युक्त बहुत- से ब्राह्मण तार दें इसमें तो कहना ही क्या है। अतः सुपात्रकी खोज करनी चाहिये। उससे तृप्त होनेपर सम्पूर्ण देवता, पितर और ऋषि भी तृप्त हो जाते हैं
tārayet kulaṁ sarvam eko 'pīha dvijottamaḥ | kim aṅga punar evaite tasmāt pātraṁ samācaret || (tṛpte tṛptāḥ sarve devāḥ pitaro munayo 'pi ca) ||
Bhīṣma said: “Even a single excellent brāhmaṇa here can deliver an entire lineage. How much more, then, if many such brāhmaṇas are present! Therefore one should carefully seek and honor a worthy recipient. When such a person is satisfied, all the gods, the ancestors, and the sages too are considered satisfied.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that in śrāddha and gifting, the ethical focus should be on choosing a truly worthy recipient (pātra). The merit of the rite is amplified by the recipient’s worthiness: satisfying such a brāhmaṇa is treated as satisfying the gods, ancestors, and sages, thereby benefiting the whole lineage.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including the conduct and efficacy of śrāddha. Here he emphasizes that even one exemplary brāhmaṇa can ‘save’ a family line through proper reception of offerings, so one must diligently seek a fit person for the rite.