Shloka 9
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
एष्टव्या बहव: पुत्रा यद्येको5पि गयां व्रजेत् । यत्रासौ प्रथितो लोकेष्वक्षय्यकरणो वट:
eṣṭavyā bahavaḥ putrā yady eko 'pi gayāṃ vrajet | yatrāsau prathito lokeṣv akṣayyīkaraṇo vaṭaḥ ||
Dijo Bhishma: Debe desearse tener muchos hijos varones, pues aun si uno solo de ellos peregrina a Gayā—donde se alza el Akṣayavaṭa, célebre en los mundos, del que se dice que vuelve imperecedero el fruto del śrāddha—podrá asegurar un beneficio duradero para los antepasados. Así, la descendencia es alabada no solo por la continuidad del linaje, sino por su capacidad de sostener los ritos ancestrales y conferir mérito perdurable.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharmic value of progeny in the context of pitṛdharma: even a single son who undertakes pilgrimage to Gayā and performs rites connected with Akṣayavaṭa can secure enduring, ‘imperishable’ benefit from śrāddha for the ancestors. Progeny is thus framed as a means of sustaining ancestral obligations and long-term merit.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including duties toward ancestors. Here he highlights the famed Gayā-tīrtha and its Akṣayavaṭa, emphasizing that pilgrimage and śrāddha performed there are believed to yield inexhaustible results, and therefore having sons is praised because they can carry out such rites.