Shloka 23
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
श्राद्धे दैवे च निर्दिष्टो ब्राह्मणो भरतर्षभ । दातुः प्रतिग्रहीतुश्न शृणुष्वानुग्रह पुन:
bhīṣma uvāca | śrāddhe daive ca nirdiṣṭo brāhmaṇo bharatarṣabha | dātuḥ pratigrahītuś ca śṛṇuṣvānugrahaṃ punaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “O bull among the Bharatas, the kind of Brahmin who is to be excluded has already been specified with regard to offerings to the gods and the rites of śrāddha. Now listen again, as I explain—out of compassionate allowance—the qualities of those who give and those who receive, even in cases where a person might otherwise be barred from participation in śrāddha.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual eligibility is governed by dharma: certain recipients are normally excluded from divine and ancestral rites, yet Bhishma signals that compassionate, rule-based exceptions (anugraha) may apply when special qualifying virtues are present—especially concerning the ethics of giving and accepting gifts.
Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira in Anushasana Parva. Having already described which Brahmins are disqualified for daiva rites and śrāddha, he now transitions to a further discussion of donors and recipients—explaining nuanced cases where someone otherwise prohibited may still be accepted due to particular merits.