Shloka 49
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
कृते च तस्मिन् भविता तवापि सुमहान् गुण:
kṛte ca tasmin bhavitā tavāpi sumahān guṇaḥ | tataḥ sampūrṇā devatā maharṣayaś ca tam ūcuḥ—“vayaṃ tvāṃ ekasmin kārye niyokṣyāmaḥ | tat tvayā kartavyam | tasya kāryasya sampādanāt tavāpi bahu mahān lābho bhaviṣyati” ||
Bhishma said: “And when that is accomplished, a very great merit will arise for you as well.” Then the assembled gods and great seers addressed him: “We shall appoint you to a task. You must carry it out. When you complete that work, you too will gain a very great benefit.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that accepting and completing an assigned duty (kārya) is ethically binding (kartavya) and yields significant moral/spiritual merit (guṇa) and benefit (lābha), especially when the duty is sanctioned by wise and divine authorities.
Bhishma narrates that after a certain work is to be completed, the gathered gods and great seers speak to a person, formally appointing him to a specific task and assuring him that completing it will bring him great gain.