Shloka 11
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
क्षेत्रप्रतिग्रहे चैव ग्रहसूतकयोस्तथा । त्रीणि रात्राण्युपोषित्वा तेन पापाद् विमुच्यते
kṣetrapratigrahe caiva grahasūtakayostathā | trīṇi rātrāṇyupoṣitvā tena pāpād vimucyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Si l’on accepte en don une terre—surtout au moment d’une éclipse ou durant une période d’impureté rituelle (sūtaka)—on doit expier en jeûnant trois nuits ; par cette observance on est délivré du péché encouru.» L’enseignement montre que le dharma veille au temps et à la pureté des transactions, prescrivant une pénitence mesurée plutôt que de rejeter les devoirs sociaux.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Accepting gifts (especially land) at ritually sensitive times like an eclipse or during sūtaka can generate fault; a specific, limited penance—fasting for three nights—purifies the receiver and removes the resulting demerit.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma is teaching norms of conduct and expiation. Here he gives a practical rule: if one has accepted a land-gift under eclipse-time or impurity conditions, one should perform a three-night fast as atonement.