Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 326
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
फल वृत्तिं च मार्ग च यश्चैनं प्रतिपद्यते । यह सब मैं सुनना चाहता हूँ। तीनों पिण्डोंकी जो गति होती है, उसका जो फल, वृत्ति और मार्ग है तथा जो देवता उस पिण्डको पाता है, उन सबपर प्रकाश डालिये
phala-vṛttiṁ ca mārgaṁ ca yaś cainaṁ pratipadyate |
神なる使者は言った。「その帰結、その働きのあり方（vṛtti）、そして到達の道（mārga）について、またそれを受け取るのは誰かについて、私は聞きたい。三つのピṇḍa（ピンダ）の行き先はいかなるものか。その果（phala）、その運行の法（vṛtti）、その道（mārga）、そして各ピṇḍaを受け取る神格は誰か——それらすべてを明らかにしていただきたい。」
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: ritual acts should be understood through (1) their phala (ethical/spiritual result), (2) their vṛtti (how they ‘work’—the sustaining principle and proper performance), and (3) their mārga (the correct means/path). It emphasizes informed practice—knowing the intended recipient and consequence—rather than mechanical observance.
A divine messenger is being questioned (or continues a dialogue) about the doctrine surrounding offerings called ‘piṇḍas’ (as clarified by the accompanying Hindi gloss). The speaker asks for an explanation of the fate/gati of the three piṇḍas, the results they yield, the manner in which they operate, the path by which they are properly directed, and which deity is said to receive each.