Shloka 2
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
भीष्म उवाच हवींषि श्राद्धकल्पे तु यानि श्राद्धविदो विदु: । तानि मे शृणु काम्यानि फलं चैव युधिष्ठिर
bhīṣma uvāca
havīṁṣi śrāddhakalpe tu yāni śrāddhavido viduḥ |
tāni me śṛṇu kāmyāni phalaṁ caiva yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh Yudhiṣṭhira, escúchame acerca de las ofrendas sacrificiales (havis) que los conocedores del rito de śrāddha reconocen como apropiadas para el śrāddha. Oye también cuáles deben elegirse para fines deseados y qué frutos producen.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames śrāddha as a dharmic practice governed by learned tradition: one should know which offerings are sanctioned, which are chosen for specific intended aims (kāmya), and what fruits (phala) follow—linking ritual correctness with ethical responsibility and consequences.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira. Here he introduces a detailed discussion on śrāddha offerings—what authorities prescribe and what results they produce—preparing to enumerate and explain them in subsequent verses.