Shloka 16
पिण्ड-दानके आरम्भमें पहले अग्नि और सोमके लिये जो दो भाग दिये जाते हैं, उनके मन्त्र क्रमश: इस प्रकार हैं--“अग्नये कव्यवाहनाय स्वाहा", “सोमाय पितृमते स्वाहा ।/ जो स्त्री रजस्वला हो अथवा जिसके दोनों कान बहरे हों, उसको श्राद्धमें नहीं ठहरना चाहिये। दूसरे वंशकी स्त्रीको भी श्राद्धकर्ममें नहीं लेना चाहिये ।। जलं प्रतरमाणश्न कीर्तयेत पितामहान् । नदीमासाद्य कुर्वीत पितृणां पिण्डतर्पणम्,जलको तैरते समय पितामहों (के नामों) का कीर्तन करे। किसी नदीके तटपर जानेके बाद वहाँ पितरोंके लिये पिण्डदान और तर्पण करना चाहिये
piṇḍa-dānake ārambhe pūrvam agnaye somāya ca ye dvau bhāgau dīyete, tayoḥ mantrau kramaśaḥ— “agnaye kavyavāhanāya svāhā”, “somāya pitṛmate svāhā” | yā strī rajasvalā syāt athavā yasyāḥ ubhau karṇau badhirau, sā śrāddhe na sthāpayitavyā | anyavaṃśyāṃ striyam api śrāddhakarmāṇi na gṛhṇīyāt || jalaṃ prataramāṇaḥ kīrtayet pitāmahān | nadīm āsādya kurvīta pitṝṇāṃ piṇḍatarpaṇam ||
Bhishma said: At the beginning of offering funeral rice-balls (piṇḍa-dāna), two portions are first assigned to Agni and Soma, with the mantras respectively: “Oblation to Agni, the carrier of offerings to the ancestors—svāhā,” and “Oblation to Soma, who is allied with the Fathers—svāhā.” A woman who is menstruating, or one who is deaf in both ears, should not be made to remain in the śrāddha rite; nor should a woman from another lineage be engaged in the śrāddha procedures. While crossing water one should recite the names of the grandfathers; and upon reaching the bank of a river, one should perform the offering of rice-balls and libations (tarpana) for the ancestors.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage lays out procedural dharma for śrāddha: offerings are first dedicated to Agni and Soma with specific mantras, and the rite is to be conducted with prescribed eligibility and purity norms; ancestor offerings (piṇḍa and tarpana) are especially appropriate at a riverbank, with remembrance of forefathers.
Bhishma is instructing on ancestral rites—how to begin piṇḍa-dāna with Agni and Soma oblations, who should not be included in the śrāddha setting, and how one should remember the forefathers while crossing water and then perform piṇḍa and tarpana upon reaching a river.