Shloka 33
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
क्रियमाणे5पवर्गे च यो द्विजो भरतर्षभ । न व्याहरति यद्युक्त तस्याधर्मो गवानृतम्
kriyamāṇe ’pavarge ca yo dvijo bharatarṣabha | na vyāharati yadyuktaṃ tasyādharmo gavānṛtam ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata, bila suatu upacara yang ditujukan untuk ‘pelepasan’ (apavarga) sedang dilaksanakan, dan seorang dwija tidak mengucapkan kata-kata yang patut serta ditetapkan oleh tata-ritus, maka kelalaiannya itu menjadi adharma baginya—seberat dosa berdusta tentang seekor sapi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In sacred contexts, especially rites aimed at spiritual uplift, silence or failure to recite what is duly prescribed is itself a breach of dharma; ethical responsibility includes speaking the right words at the right time.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma teachings, emphasizes the moral weight of correct ritual speech: neglecting proper utterance during a liberation-oriented rite is counted as serious wrongdoing.