Shloka 17
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
पूर्व स्ववंशजानां तु कृत्वाद्धिस्तर्पणं पुन: । सुहृत्सम्बन्धिवर्गाणां ततो दद्याज्जलाञज्जलिम्
pūrvaṃ svavaṃśajānāṃ tu kṛtvāddhis-tarpaṇaṃ punaḥ | suhṛt-sambandhi-vargāṇāṃ tato dadyāj jalāñjalim ||
Bhīṣma enseigne qu’il faut d’abord accomplir le tarpana, l’offrande d’eau, pour les ancêtres nés dans son propre lignage ; puis, ensuite, offrir une libation d’eau (jalāñjali) à ses amis bienveillants et à l’ensemble des parents.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain proper ritual and ethical order in remembrance: first satisfy and honor one’s own lineage-ancestors through tarpana, then extend water-offerings to well-wishers and relatives—expressing gratitude and fulfilling social and familial dharma.
In Bhishma’s discourse on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he gives procedural guidance for ancestral rites: the performer begins with tarpana for forefathers of the family line and then offers jalāñjali to friends and the broader circle of relations.