Shloka 7
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
ब्राह्मणान् भरतश्रेष्ठ सततं ब्रह्म॒ुवादिन: । मार्कण्डेय: पुरा प्राह इति लोकेषु बुद्धिमान् ७ ।।
brāhmaṇān bharataśreṣṭha satataṁ brahmavādinaḥ | mārkaṇḍeyaḥ purā prāha iti lokeṣu buddhimān || 7 ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara Bharata, dalam śrāddha hendaknya selalu mengundang para Brahmana yang brahmavādī—para pengenal Weda yang teguh pada ajaran Brahman. Demikian telah dinyatakan dahulu oleh resi bijak Mārkaṇḍeya, dan diterima di tengah masyarakat.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual acts—especially śrāddha—should be performed with discernment in choosing recipients: invite Brahmins who are brahmavādins (genuine Vedic knowers/teachers), because the rite’s efficacy is tied to the worthiness and integrity of those honoured.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as ‘best of the Bharatas’) and supports his guidance by citing the ancient authority of the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, noting that this principle is widely accepted.