Shloka 4
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
श्राद्धे त्वथ महाराज परीक्षेद् ब्राह्मणान् बुध: । कुलशीलवयोरूपैर्विद्ययाभिजनेन च
śrāddhe tv atha mahārāja parīkṣed brāhmaṇān budhaḥ | kulaśīlavayorūpair vidyayābhijanena ca ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Pero en el momento del śrāddha, oh gran rey, el hombre sabio debe examinar a los brāhmanes, atendiendo a su linaje, buena conducta, edad, aspecto, saber y noble nacimiento. Pues en los ritos ofrecidos a los antepasados, el discernimiento al escoger receptores dignos resguarda la santidad de la ofrenda y sostiene el dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In śrāddha (ancestral rites), one should act with discernment: the recipients of offerings should be examined for lineage, conduct, maturity, learning, and respectable background, so that the rite remains dharmic and spiritually efficacious.
Bhīṣma is instructing King Yudhiṣṭhira in Anuśāsana Parva on proper religious conduct. Here he gives practical guidance about performing śrāddha—specifically, how to assess the suitability of brāhmaṇas who are to be honored and fed in the rite.