Shloka 8
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
युधिछिर उवाच अपूर्वोजप्यथवा विद्वान् सम्बन्धी वा यथा भवेत् । तपस्वी यज्ञशीलो वा कथं पात्र भवेत् तु सः,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--जो अपरिचित, विद्वान, सम्बन्धी, तपस्वी अथवा यज्ञशील हों, इनमेंसे कौन किस प्रकारके गुणोंसे सम्पन्न होनेपर श्राद्ध एवं दानका उत्तम पात्र हो सकता है?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | apūrvo jñāpya athavā vidvān sambandhī vā yathā bhavet | tapasvī yajñaśīlo vā kathaṃ pātraṃ bhavet tu saḥ ||
Yudhishthira said: “Whether a person is previously unknown, or a learned man recognized as worthy; whether he is a relative as the case may be; whether he is an ascetic or devoted to sacrifice—by what qualities does such a person become a truly fit recipient (pātra) for śrāddha offerings and for gifts?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dāna and śrāddha: external labels—being a stranger, a relative, learned, ascetic, or ritual-minded—do not by themselves establish worthiness. The real criterion is the presence of qualifying virtues (such as conduct, self-control, truthfulness, and purity), which the subsequent discourse is expected to define.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance on whom one should honor with śrāddha offerings and charitable gifts. He lists different categories of potential recipients and requests the specific qualities that make any of them an ‘uttama pātra’ (excellent recipient).