Shloka 12
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
निवप्ते चाग्निपूर्व वै निवापे पुरुषर्षभ । न ब्रह्ाराक्षसास्तं वै निवापं धर्षयन्त्युत,पुरुषप्रवर! अग्निमें हवन करनेके बाद जो पितरोंके निमित्त पिण्डदान दिया जाता है, उसे ब्रह्मराक्षस दूषित नहीं करते
nivapte cāgnipūrva vai nivāpe puruṣarṣabha | na brahmarākṣasās taṁ vai nivāpaṁ dharṣayanty uta puruṣapravara ||
Wahai yang terbaik di antara manusia: bila nivāpa (persembahan bagi arwah leluhur) dilakukan setelah terlebih dahulu mempersembahkan ke dalam api suci, maka persembahan itu tidak dapat diganggu atau dinajiskan oleh brahmarākṣasa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
If the ancestral offering (nivāpa/piṇḍa) is performed in the proper Vedic sequence—after first making an offering into Agni—then hostile forces like brahmarākṣasas cannot defile it; correct ritual order safeguards purity and efficacy.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and śrāddha-related rites, he reassures the listener that a nivāpa offered for the Pitṛs, when preceded by fire-offering, remains protected from malevolent interference.