Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
दक्षिणाग्रास्ततो दर्भा विष्टरेषु निवेशिता: । पादयोश्वैव विप्राणां ये त्वन्नमुपभुञज्जते
dakṣiṇāgrās tato darbhā viṣṭareṣu niveśitāḥ | pādayoś caiva viprāṇāṃ ye tv annam upabhuñjate ||
फिर उन्होंने आसनों पर दक्षिणाग्र कुश बिछाए; और जो ब्राह्मण भोजन करने वाले थे, उनके चरणों के नीचे भी वही दक्षिणाग्र कुश रख दिए।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes ritual propriety and mindful purity in ancestral offerings: even details like arranging south-pointed kuśa on seats and under the diners’ feet are part of dharma when honoring the departed through brāhmaṇa-feeding.
Bhishma describes the procedure of a śrāddha-like rite: the performer prepares the seating with darbha grass oriented southward and places it beneath the feet of the brāhmaṇas who will eat, marking the act as a carefully observed ancestral offering.