Shloka 22
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
तिलैरविरहितं श्राद्ध कृतं क्रोधवशेन च । यातुधाना: पिशाचाश्न विप्रलुम्पन्ति तद्धवि:
tilair avirahitaṁ śrāddhaṁ kṛtaṁ krodhavaśena ca | yātudhānāḥ piśācāś ca vipralumpanti tad dhaviḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: A śrāddha performed without sesame seeds, or performed under the sway of anger, does not attain its sacred end; the offering (havis) is seized and defiled by malevolent beings—yātudhānas and piśācas. Therefore ancestral rites must be done with the proper materials and, above all, with a calm and reverent mind, not with hostility or agitation.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrāddha should be performed with the prescribed elements (notably tila) and with inner composure. If done carelessly—especially in anger—the rite becomes vulnerable to obstruction and is considered fruitless, symbolically described as the offering being taken by yātudhānas and piśācas.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira the proper conduct of śrāddha. Here he warns that omissions (like lack of sesame) and a disturbed mental state (anger) undermine the rite, portrayed as malevolent beings spoiling the havis.