Shloka 18
कृष्णपक्षे दशम्यादौ वर्जयित्वा चतुर्दशीम् श्राद्धकर्मणि तिथ्यस्तु प्रशस्ता न तथेतरा:,कृष्ण-पक्षमें केवल चतुर्दशीको छोड़कर दशमीसे लेकर अमावास्यातककी सभी तिथियाँ श्राद्धकर्ममें जैसे प्रशस्त मानी गयी हैं, वैसे दूसरी प्रतिपदासे नवमीतक नहीं
bhīṣma uvāca | kṛṣṇapakṣe daśamyādau varjayitvā caturdaśīm | śrāddhakarmaṇi tithyastu praśastā na tathetarāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “In the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa), from the tenth lunar day (daśamī) onward up to the new-moon day (amāvāsyā), the lunar dates are regarded as commendable for the rite of śrāddha—except the fourteenth (caturdaśī). The other dates (such as those from the first to the ninth) are not held in the same esteem for this purpose.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that dharma in ancestral rites includes proper timing: in the dark fortnight, śrāddha is generally recommended from Daśamī through Amāvāsyā, with Caturdaśī specifically avoided, while earlier tithis are not considered equally suitable.
Within Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and observances, he gives a practical rule about calendrical suitability for performing śrāddha, distinguishing preferred tithis from those considered less appropriate.