Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 16
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
राजन! जो गाते-बजाते, नाचते, खेल-कूदकर तमाशा दिखाते, व्यर्थकी बातें बनाते और पहलवानी करते हैं, वे भी निमन्त्रण पानेके अधिकारी नहीं हैं ।।
rājan! hotāro vṛṣalānāṃ ca vṛṣalādhyāpakās tathā | tathā vṛṣalaśiṣyāś ca rājan nārhanti ketanam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Roi, ceux qui chantent et jouent de la musique, dansent, donnent des spectacles par jeux et prouesses, débitent des paroles vaines et pratiquent la lutte ne sont pas davantage dignes d’être conviés. Et encore, ô seigneur des hommes, ceux qui officient comme prêtres pour les Śūdra, ceux qui les instruisent, ou ceux qui deviennent leurs disciples pour apprendre d’eux ou les servir, ne doivent pas non plus être invités au śrāddha.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lays down a rule of ritual eligibility: for formal invitations connected with rites (especially śrāddha-type hospitality), one should avoid inviting persons whose ritual roles and educational ties are considered improper within the text’s dharma framework—specifically, those who officiate for, teach, or study under those labeled vṛṣala.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he is enumerating categories of people regarded as unfit to be invited to certain ceremonial meals/rites, continuing a broader discussion on rules of hospitality and ritual purity.