Shloka 34
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
भरतश्रेष्ठ! जो ब्राह्मण श्राद्धकी समाप्ति होनेपर “अस्तु स्वधा” आदि तत्कालोचित वचनोंका प्रयोग नहीं करता है, उसे गायकी झूठी शपथ खानेका पाप लगता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | bharataśreṣṭha! yo brāhmaṇaḥ śrāddhasya samāptau “astu svadhā” ity-ādi tatkālaucitāni vacanāni na prayuṅkte, tasya gāvaḥ kṛtvā mṛṣāśapathasya pāpaṃ bhavati || yudhiṣṭhira! yasmin dine supātra-brāhmaṇaḥ prāpyate, dadhi ghṛtaṃ ca prāpyate, amāvāsyā-tithiḥ ca, araṇyajāni kandamūlaphalapīṭhāni ca labhyante, sa eva śrāddhasyottamaḥ kālaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh el mejor de los Bharata, si un brahmán, al concluir un śrāddha, no pronuncia de inmediato las fórmulas finales oportunas, como “astu svadhā”, incurre en un pecado comparable al de prestar un falso juramento acerca de una vaca. Oh Yudhiṣṭhira, el mejor momento para realizar el śrāddha es precisamente aquel día en que se obtiene un brahmán digno como receptor, junto con cuajada y ghee, el día de luna nueva, y productos del bosque como tubérculos, raíces y la pulpa de los frutos: cuando estos requisitos concurren, esa ocasión misma se vuelve el tiempo propicio.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual dharma depends not only on intention but also on correct, timely speech and procedure: omitting the proper concluding formulae of śrāddha is treated as a serious ethical fault. Further, the ‘best time’ for śrāddha is pragmatically defined as the convergence of a worthy recipient and suitable offerings (including amāvāsyā and appropriate foods), emphasizing fitness and availability over rigid calendrical formalism.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he gives specific guidance on śrāddha: the necessity of uttering the concluding words like “astu svadhā,” and the criteria by which a day becomes an excellent occasion for performing the rite.