Shloka 44
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
मैंने जो दोष बताये हैं, वे वैसे ही प्राप्त होते हैं। इसमें कोई परिवर्तन नहीं होता; अतः ब्राह्मण स्नान करके पवित्र एवं क्षमाशील हो श्राद्धमें भोजन करे ।।
mayā ye doṣāḥ pradarśitāḥ te tathāiva prāpyante; atra na kiñcid vikāraḥ. ataḥ brāhmaṇaḥ snātvā pavitraḥ kṣamāśīlaś ca śrāddhe bhojanaṃ kuryāt. prajā vivardhate cāsya yaś caivaṃ samprayacchati. tataḥ vidyutprabho nāma ṛṣir āha mahātapāḥ.
El mensajero divino dijo: «Las faltas que he señalado dan su fruto exactamente como se ha dicho; no hay alteración en esta ley. Por tanto, un brāhmaṇa debe bañarse, volverse puro y, con ánimo indulgente, participar de la comida del śrāddha. Para quien ofrece el don del śrāddha de este modo, la descendencia aumenta.» Después de que los Pitṛs hablaron así, un gran asceta llamado Vidyutprabha planteó entonces su pregunta.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karmic consequences are invariable: faults yield their stated results without alteration. Therefore śrāddha should be approached with ritual purity (bathing), inner discipline (forgiveness), and proper giving; such correct performance is said to support prosperity, especially the growth of one’s progeny.
A divine messenger explains the fixed nature of moral causality and prescribes the proper disposition for participating in a śrāddha meal. The Pitṛs’ assurance that correct śrāddha-giving increases progeny is followed by the entrance of the ascetic sage Vidyutprabha, who then poses a question, moving the dialogue forward.