Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 296
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
कं वा प्रीणयते देव॑ कथं तारयते पितृन् | किंतु पहले पिण्डको उठाकर जो नीचे जलमें डाल देनेकी बात कही गयी है
kaṃ vā prīṇayate devaḥ kathaṃ tārayate pitṝn | kintu pūrve piṇḍakaṃ utthāpya yo nīce jalasmin dālayituṃ uktaḥ, tasya anusarataḥ yadi sa jalasmin dālyate tarhi sa kasya prāpyate? kaṃ devatāṃ tṛptayati? kathaṃ ca pitṝn tārayati?
神の使者は問うた。「この供物は真に誰を満たすのですか、神よ。またいかにして祖霊（Pitṛ）を救い渡すのですか。先に、葬送の飯団子（ピンダ、piṇḍa）を持ち上げて水中へ投げ入れるべし、と説かれました。教えのとおり水に投じたなら、それは実際には誰に届くのですか。いかなる神がそれによって満足するのですか。そしてどのようにして先祖を彼岸へと渡らせるのですか。」
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into ritual efficacy: an act (casting the piṇḍa into water) must have a clear recipient and purpose—who is satisfied, and by what mechanism do ancestors benefit? It emphasizes that rites are not mere gestures; their meaning, intended recipient, and ethical-ritual logic should be understood.
A divine messenger questions a prior instruction about śrāddha procedure—lifting a piṇḍa and dropping it into water. The messenger asks for clarification: to whom does the offering go, which deity is pleased, and how this act results in the ‘deliverance’ of the pitṛs.