Shloka 13
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
श्वित्री क्लीबश्व कुछ्ठी च तथा यक्ष्महतश्न यः । अपस्मारी च यश्चान्धो राजन् नाहन्ति केतनम्
śvitrī klībaś ca kuṣṭhī ca tathā yakṣma-hataś ca yaḥ | apasmārī ca yaś cāndho rājan nāhanti ketanam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Roi, ceux qui sont atteints de taches blanches sur la peau (dépigmentation), d’impuissance, de lèpre, de consomption (rājayakṣmā), d’épilepsie ou de cécité ne sont pas tenus pour des hôtes dignes d’être conviés au rite du śrāddha.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a traditional dharma-śāstric rule: certain severe illnesses or impairments are treated as disqualifications for being invited as recipients in the śrāddha rite, emphasizing ritual eligibility norms rather than personal worth.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including detailed rules for ancestral rites (śrāddha). Here he lists categories of persons who, according to the tradition being cited, should not be invited to the śrāddha meal.