Shloka 52
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ये तु निन्दन्ति जल्पेषु न ताउ्छाद्धेषु भोजयेत् । ब्राह्मणा निन्दिता राजन हन्युस्त्रैपुरुषं कुलम्
ye tu nindanti jalpeṣu na tāñ śrāddheṣu bhojayet | brāhmaṇā ninditā rājan hanyus traipuruṣaṃ kulam ||
Bhishma said: “But those who, in the course of their talk, revile Brahmins—such people should not be fed at śrāddha rites. O king, it is heard as the saying of forest-dwelling sages that when Brahmins are reviled, they can destroy the offender’s family line for three generations.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not honor or include in śrāddha-feeding those who habitually disparage Brahmins; abusive speech against the learned is treated as a grave fault with consequences that can harm one’s lineage for three generations.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king on proper conduct and śrāddha norms, he specifies disqualifications for invitees and warns—citing the traditional saying of forest sages—about the destructive karmic/social consequences of reviling Brahmins.