Shloka 39
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ऋतच्विग्भिर भ्यनुज्ञात: पंक््त्या हरति दुष्कृतम् जो ऋत्विक् या अध्यापक न हो, वह भी यदि ऋत्विजोंकी आज्ञा लेकर श्राद्धमें अग्रासन ग्रहण करता है तो पंक्तिके दोषको हर लेता है अर्थात् दूर कर देता है ।।
ṛtacvigbhir abhyanujñātaḥ paṅktyā harati duṣkṛtam | yo ṛtvij vā adhyāpako na bhavati sa api yadi ṛtvijāṁ ājñāṁ gṛhītvā śrāddhe agrāsanaṁ gṛhṇāti tarhi sa paṅktidoṣaṁ harati (dūrīkaroti) || atha ced vedavit sarvaḥ paṅktidoṣair avivarjitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “If a man who is not an officiating priest or a Vedic teacher nevertheless, with the consent of the priests, takes the foremost seat in the line at a śrāddha, he removes the fault that would otherwise taint the dining row. And if he is truly learned in the Veda and free from disqualifying defects, the rite is safeguarded from impurity and its intended merit is preserved.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Precedence in a śrāddha meal is governed by dharma and ritual authorization: if the officiating priests consent and the person is genuinely qualified (Veda-knowing and not disqualified by faults), taking the foremost seat does not corrupt the rite; rather, it prevents or removes the ‘paṅkti-doṣa’ that would arise from improper seating.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he explains a rule about śrāddha arrangements: even someone who is not formally an officiant or teacher may sit first in the dining line if the priests approve; the discussion then turns to the condition of being a true Veda-knower and whether one is free from disqualifying defects.