Shloka 23
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
श्राद्धे दैवे च निर्दिष्टो ब्राह्मणो भरतर्षभ । दातुः प्रतिग्रहीतुश्न शृणुष्वानुग्रह पुन:
bhīṣma uvāca | śrāddhe daive ca nirdiṣṭo brāhmaṇo bharatarṣabha | dātuḥ pratigrahītuś ca śṛṇuṣvānugrahaṃ punaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, on a déjà indiqué quel type de brahmane doit être exclu des offrandes aux dieux et des rites de śrāddha. Écoute maintenant encore, tandis que j’expose—par indulgence compatissante—les qualités de ceux qui donnent et de ceux qui reçoivent, même dans les cas où un homme serait autrement écarté de la participation au śrāddha.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual eligibility is governed by dharma: certain recipients are normally excluded from divine and ancestral rites, yet Bhishma signals that compassionate, rule-based exceptions (anugraha) may apply when special qualifying virtues are present—especially concerning the ethics of giving and accepting gifts.
Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira in Anushasana Parva. Having already described which Brahmins are disqualified for daiva rites and śrāddha, he now transitions to a further discussion of donors and recipients—explaining nuanced cases where someone otherwise prohibited may still be accepted due to particular merits.