Shloka 22
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
एते च पितरो राजन्नेष श्राद्धविधि: पर: । कुरुकुलश्रेष्ठ! ब्रह्मा, पुलस्त्य, वसिष्ठ, पुलह, अंगिरा, क्रतु और महर्षि कश्यप--ये सात ऋषि महान् योगेश्वर और पितर माने गये हैं। राजन्! इस प्रकार यह श्राद्धकी उत्तम विधि बतायी गयी || २०-२१ $ ।। प्रेतास्तु पिण्डसम्बन्धान्मुच्यन्ते तेन कर्मणा,प्रेत (मरे हुए पिता आदि) पिण्डके सम्बन्धसे प्रेतत्वके कष्टसे छुटकारा पा जाते हैं। पुरुषश्रेष्ठट यह मैंने शास्त्रके अनुसार तुम्हें पूर्वमें बताये श्राद्धकी उत्पत्तिका प्रसंग विस्तारपूर्वक बताया है। अब दानके विषयमें बताऊँगा
ete ca pitaro rājann eṣa śrāddhavidhiḥ paraḥ | pretāstu piṇḍasambandhān mucyante tena karmaṇā ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, these are indeed the Fathers (Pitṛs), and this is the supreme procedure of śrāddha. By that rite, the departed who are in the state of ‘preta’ are released from the hardship of that condition through their connection with the piṇḍa-offering. Thus I have explained to you, in accordance with the śāstra, the origin and full context of śrāddha; now I shall speak about the subject of gifting (dāna).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrāddha, performed according to śāstra, is presented as a ‘supreme’ rite that benefits the departed: through the piṇḍa-offering and its ritual linkage, those in the preta condition are said to be released from that distress. The passage also signals a transition from śrāddha to the ethics of dāna (charitable giving).
Bhīṣma continues his instruction to the king, summarizing the authoritative śrāddha procedure and its intended effect on the departed, while referencing revered sages as exemplars/authorities. He then announces that he will proceed to teach about dāna.