Shloka 2
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
ऋषयो धर्मनित्यास्तु कृत्वा निवपनान्युत । तर्पणं चाप्यकुर्वन्त तीर्थाम्भोभिययतव्रता:,सदा धर्ममें तत्पर रहनेवाले और नियमपूर्वक व्रत धारण करनेवाले महर्षि पिण्डदान करनेके पश्चात् तीर्थंके जलसे पितरोंका तर्पण भी करते थे
ṛṣayo dharmanityāstu kṛtvā nivapanāny uta | tarpaṇaṃ cāpy akurvanta tīrthāmbhobhir yayatavratāḥ ||
Bhishma said: The sages, ever steadfast in dharma and observing their vows with disciplined restraint, would first offer the funerary oblations; and thereafter, using the sacred waters of pilgrimage fords, they would also perform libations of satisfaction for the ancestors. Thus, righteous conduct was upheld through careful completion of the rites owed to the departed.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast dharma includes completing one’s obligations to the departed: after making the prescribed offerings (nivapana), one should also perform tarpaṇa with sacred water, showing disciplined, vow-governed continuity in ritual and ethical duty.
Bhishma describes the customary practice of ancient sages: they performed post-offering rites and then used tīrtha-water to offer tarpaṇa to the ancestors, presenting an exemplary model of dharma-centered conduct.