Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 306
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
किमर्थ पितरस्तस्य कव्यमेव च भुड्जते । इसी प्रकार यदि गुरुजनोंकी आज्ञाके अनुसार मध्यम पिण्ड पत्नी ही खाती है तो उसके पितर किस प्रकार उस पिण्डका उपभोग करते हैं?
kimarthaṁ pitaras tasya kavyam eva ca bhuñjate |
El mensajero divino dijo: «¿Por qué razón los Pitṛs de ese hombre participan sólo de la ofrenda funeraria (kavya)? Y asimismo, si—por mandato de los mayores—el piṇḍa del medio lo come la propia esposa, ¿de qué modo sus antepasados obtienen goce de ese piṇḍa?»
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises a dharma-question about how Śrāddha offerings reach the Pitṛs when ritual roles or consumption rules vary—highlighting that ancestral benefit depends on correct intention, authorized procedure, and the dharmic framework governing offerings (kavya/piṇḍa).
A divine messenger questions the mechanics and rationale of ancestral enjoyment of Śrāddha offerings: why the Pitṛs partake of kavya, and how they receive the ‘middle piṇḍa’ if, by elders’ instruction, the wife consumes it—setting up an explanation of ritual transmission and dharmic authorization.