Shloka 9
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
सर्वसत्रैश्न यजते यस्तिलैर्यजते पितृन् | न चाकामेन दातव्यं तिलश्राद्धं कदाचन
bhīṣma uvāca | sarvasatraiś ca yajate yas tilair yajate pitṝn | na cākāmena dātavyaṃ tilaśrāddhaṃ kadācana ||
Bhīṣma dit : Celui qui honore les Pères (les Pitṛ) avec du sésame, c’est comme s’il avait accompli tous les sacrifices. Toutefois, l’offrande de sésame dans le śrāddha ne doit jamais être faite sans intention ni dessein ; qu’on ne l’accomplisse pas dans l’indifférence, mais avec une volonté arrêtée, pleine de foi et de ferveur.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sesame-offerings to the Pitṛs are praised as highly meritorious—comparable to performing many sacrifices—but the act should not be done mechanically or with indifference; it must be offered with conscious intention and faith.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising on duties and rites; here he highlights the special potency of sesame in ancestral worship while stressing the ethical requirement of purposeful, sincere offering.