Shloka 15
एवं स पुत्रपौत्राणां पितृणामात्मनस्तथा । गान्धार्याश्व महाराज प्रददावौर्ध्वदेहिकम्
evaṁ sa putrapautrāṇāṁ pitṝṇām ātmanaḥ tathā | gāndhāryāś ca mahārāja pradadāv aurdhvadehikam ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Así pues, oh gran rey, él cumplió debidamente los ritos postfunerarios (ūrdhva-dehika: śrāddha y ofrendas afines) por sus hijos y nietos, por sus antepasados, por sí mismo, y también por Gāndhārī—satisfaciendo la obligación ética de honrar a los muertos y sostener el orden ancestral.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores pitṛ-dharma: the moral and ritual responsibility to honor the departed through prescribed offerings. Even amid loss and renunciation, one sustains social and cosmic continuity by remembering ancestors, family members, and fulfilling obligations without neglect.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra arranged and performed the aurdhvadehika rites—post-death offerings—for those connected to him: his sons and grandsons, his ancestors, himself (as a formal inclusion in the rite’s scope), and Gāndhārī, addressing the account to King Janamejaya.