Shloka 9
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
एष्टव्या बहव: पुत्रा यद्येको5पि गयां व्रजेत् । यत्रासौ प्रथितो लोकेष्वक्षय्यकरणो वट:
eṣṭavyā bahavaḥ putrā yady eko 'pi gayāṃ vrajet | yatrāsau prathito lokeṣv akṣayyīkaraṇo vaṭaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : Il faut souhaiter avoir de nombreux fils, car si l’un d’eux seulement se rend en pèlerinage à Gayā—où se dresse l’Akṣayavaṭa, célèbre dans le monde, dont on dit qu’il rend impérissable le fruit du śrāddha—il peut assurer aux ancêtres un bienfait durable. Ainsi, la descendance est louée non seulement pour la continuité du lignage, mais pour sa capacité à maintenir les rites des aïeux et à conférer un mérite qui demeure.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharmic value of progeny in the context of pitṛdharma: even a single son who undertakes pilgrimage to Gayā and performs rites connected with Akṣayavaṭa can secure enduring, ‘imperishable’ benefit from śrāddha for the ancestors. Progeny is thus framed as a means of sustaining ancestral obligations and long-term merit.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including duties toward ancestors. Here he highlights the famed Gayā-tīrtha and its Akṣayavaṭa, emphasizing that pilgrimage and śrāddha performed there are believed to yield inexhaustible results, and therefore having sons is praised because they can carry out such rites.