Shloka 9
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
सर्वसत्रैश्न यजते यस्तिलैर्यजते पितृन् | न चाकामेन दातव्यं तिलश्राद्धं कदाचन
bhīṣma uvāca | sarvasatraiś ca yajate yas tilair yajate pitṝn | na cākāmena dātavyaṃ tilaśrāddhaṃ kadācana ||
जो तिळांनी पितरांचे पूजन करतो, तो जणू सर्व यज्ञांचे अनुष्ठान करतो. परंतु तिळ-श्राद्ध कधीही इच्छा-श्रद्धेविना देऊ नये; उदासीन भावाने नव्हे, संकल्पपूर्वक करावे.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sesame-offerings to the Pitṛs are praised as highly meritorious—comparable to performing many sacrifices—but the act should not be done mechanically or with indifference; it must be offered with conscious intention and faith.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising on duties and rites; here he highlights the special potency of sesame in ancestral worship while stressing the ethical requirement of purposeful, sincere offering.