Shloka 7
Raibhya-putrayoḥ satra-vṛttāntaḥ — The Satra Episode of Raibhya’s Sons
Parāvasu and Arvāvasu
तस्य स प्रेतकार्याणि कृत्वा सर्वाणि भारत । पुनरागम्य तत् सत्रमब्रवीद् भ्रातरं वच:,भारत! उसने पिताके समस्त प्रेतकर्म करके पुनः यज्ञमण्डपमें आकर अपने भाई अर्वावसुसे कहा--'भैया! वह यज्ञकर्म तुम अकेले किसी प्रकार निभा नहीं सकते। इधर मैंने हिंसक पशु समझकर धोखेसे पिताजीकी हत्या कर डाली है; इसलिये तात! तुम तो मेरे लिये ब्रह्महत्यानिवारणके हेतु व्रत करो और मैं राजाका यज्ञ कराऊँगा। मुने! मैं अकेला भी इस कार्यका सम्पादन करनेमें समर्थ हूँ"
tasya sa pretakāryāṇi kṛtvā sarvāṇi bhārata | punarāgamya tat satram abravīd bhrātaraṃ vacaḥ ||
O Bhārata, having performed all the funerary rites for him, he returned again to that sacrificial session and spoke these words to his brother: the narrative turns from ritual duty to moral accountability—after completing the obligations owed to the dead, he comes back to address the practical and ethical consequences that now fall upon the living.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as layered obligation: one must first complete the rites owed to the departed (pretakārya), and only then return to address ongoing responsibilities in the living world—here, the continuation of a sacrificial undertaking and the ethical reckoning that follows.
After performing all funerary rites for the deceased, the speaker returns to the ongoing satra (sacrificial session) and speaks to his brother, signaling a shift from mourning/ritual closure to practical decision-making about what must be done next.