Shloka 3

प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting

Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच यथा श्राद्धं सम्प्रवृत्तं यस्मिन्‌ काले यदात्मकम्‌ । येन संकल्पितं चैव तन्‍्मे शूणु जनाधिप

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | yathā śrāddhaṃ sampravṛttaṃ yasmin kāle yadātmakam | yena saṅkalpitaṃ caiva tan me śṛṇu janādhipa ||

Translation

ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—હે જનાધિપ! સાંભળો. શ્રાદ્ધ કયા કાળે અને કઈ રીતે પ્રચલિત થયું, તેનું સ્વરૂપ શું છે, અને સૌપ્રથમ કોણે તેનો સંકલ્પ કરીને તેને સ્થાપિત કર્યું—આ બધું હું તમને કહું છું.

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'yathā': 'how, in what manner', 'śrāddham': 'the śrāddha rite

• ancestral offering performed with faith', 'sampravṛttam': 'set in motion

• became established', 'yasmin kāle': 'at which time

• in what period/occasion', 'yad-ātmakam (yadātmakam)': 'of what nature

• having what essential character', 'yena': 'by whom

• through whom', 'saṅkalpitam': 'resolved upon

• formally intended/ordained (as a rite)', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• also', 'tat': 'that (matter)', 'me': 'from me

• my', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'janādhipa': 'O ruler of people

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Janādhipa (the king, i.e., Yudhishthira)
• Śrāddha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames śrāddha as a dharmic institution whose authority rests on its origin, proper time, and essential nature; Bhishma signals that correct ritual practice depends on understanding its intended purpose and the precedent set by the first institutor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a didactic explanation to the king (Yudhishthira), introducing a forthcoming account of when śrāddha began, what constitutes it, and who first established it as a formal rite.