Shloka 36
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
तदुच्यतां महाभागा इति जातघृणोड<ब्रवीत् । इत्युक्ता वेदशास्त्रज्ञास्तमूचुस्ते महर्षय:
tad ucyatāṃ mahābhāgā iti jātaghṛṇo 'bravīt | ity uktā vedaśāstrajñās tam ūcus te maharṣayaḥ ||
Dijo Bhishma: «Oh ilustres, decidme eso», así habló Parashurama, descendiente de Bhṛgu, cuyo corazón se había ablandado por la compasión. Al preguntar de ese modo, aquellos grandes videntes—versados en los Vedas y en los śāstras—le respondieron, dando inicio a la enseñanza sobre lo más purificador y lo que sostiene la rectitud para quienes se hallan entregados a obras feroces y violentas.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: even those involved in harsh or violent action must seek what is supremely purifying and dharmically stabilizing. Compassion arising in the questioner and reliance on Vedic sages signal that moral clarity and purification come through humility, learned guidance, and dharma-oriented counsel.
Parashurama, having become compassionate, asks the assembled learned sages to tell him what is most purifying for people engaged in fierce deeds. The sages, being experts in Veda and śāstra, begin their response—this verse functions as the transition into their instruction.