Shloka 12
Śrāddha-dvija-parīkṣā: Paṅkti-dūṣa and Paṅkti-pāvana (श्राद्धे द्विजपरीक्षा—पङ्क्तिदूष-पङ्क्तिपावन)
कृषिभागी भवेच्छाद्धं कुर्वाण: सप्तमीं नूप । अष्टम्यां तु प्रकुर्वाणो वाणिज्ये लाभमाप्नुयात्
kṛṣibhāgī bhavec chrāddhaṃ kurvāṇaḥ saptamīṃ nṛpa | aṣṭamyāṃ tu prakurvāṇo vāṇijye lābham āpnuyāt, rājan ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, celui qui accomplit le śrāddha au septième jour lunaire devient participant des gains de l’agriculture; et celui qui l’accomplit au huitième obtient profit dans le commerce. Ainsi enseigne-t-on que ce rite, accompli au moment prescrit, procure une prospérité terrestre appropriée, tout en demeurant fondé sur le devoir envers les ancêtres.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the performance of śrāddha on specific lunar days with corresponding forms of worldly gain—Saptamī with agricultural benefit and Aṣṭamī with commercial profit—presenting ritual duty to ancestors as harmonized with orderly prosperity.
Bhīṣma is instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira in context of the Anuśāsana Parva) on the observances and fruits of śrāddha, detailing how different tithis are traditionally said to yield different practical outcomes.