Shloka 7
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
अपि न: स्वकुले जायाद् यो नो दद्यात्त्रयोदशीम् । मवासु सर्पि:संयुक्त पायसं दक्षिणायने
api naḥ svakule jāyād yo no dadyāt trayodaśīm | māsa-śarpiḥ-saṁyuktaṁ pāyasaṁ dakṣiṇāyane |
Bhishma dit : «Puisse naître dans notre propre lignée quelqu’un qui nous accomplisse le rite du treizième jour lunaire—durant la marche méridionale du soleil—en donnant, comme don sacrificiel, du pāyasa mêlé de ghee !» Ainsi soupirent les Pitṛs : «S’élèvera-t-il un descendant qui, lorsque viendront la saison et la conjonction lunaire requises, nous nourrira par cette offrande prescrite ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores pitṛ-dharma: descendants sustain and honor ancestors through timely śrāddha-related gifts. Ethical emphasis falls on gratitude, continuity of family responsibility, and performing prescribed offerings with the right substance and season.
Bhīṣma, instructing on duties and gifts, voices the longing of the Pitṛs: they hope a worthy descendant will be born who will perform the Trayodaśī-related offering—pāyasa mixed with ghee—during Dakṣiṇāyana, thereby providing ritual nourishment and honor to the ancestors.