Shloka 14
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
प्राप्ते चाह्निककाले तु मध्यदेशगते रवौ । दंष्टाविलग्नांस्त्रीनू पिण्डान् विधाय सहसा प्रभु:
prāpte cāhnikakāle tu madhyadeśagate ravau | daṃṣṭāvilagnāṃs trīn piṇḍān vidhāya sahasā prabhuḥ ||
Nārada said: When the time for the midday daily rite had arrived and the sun stood over the mid-region of the sky, the Lord at once fashioned three ritual rice-balls (piṇḍas) from the earth clinging to His tusks. Spreading kuśa grass upon the ground, He placed those piṇḍas upon it and, for His own intended purpose, duly completed the rite of honoring the ancestors.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as disciplined observance: even a supreme being performs timely daily rites and honors the ancestors, teaching that power does not exempt one from ethical and ritual responsibility.
At midday, the Lord quickly forms three piṇḍa offerings from earth stuck to His tusks, lays kuśa grass on the ground, places the piṇḍas upon it, and performs the prescribed pitṛ-pūjā (ancestor rite) for His intended purpose.