Shloka 12
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
कृष्णपक्षे तु यः श्राद्धं पितृणामश्नुते द्विज: । अन्नमेतदहोरात्रात् पूतो भवति ब्राह्मण:,जो द्विज कृष्णपक्षमें किये हुए पितृश्राद्धका अन्न भोजन करता है, वह एक दिन और एक रात बीत जानेपर शुद्ध होता है
kṛṣṇapakṣe tu yaḥ śrāddhaṃ pitṝṇām aśnute dvijaḥ | annam etad ahorātrāt pūto bhavati brāhmaṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seorang dvija (yang ‘dua kali lahir’) yang memakan makanan śrāddha untuk para leluhur yang dilakukan pada kṛṣṇa-pakṣa (separuh bulan gelap) menjadi suci kembali setelah berlalu satu hari satu malam penuh.” Ajaran ini menegaskan bahawa makanan ritual itu berdaya dan tertakluk pada aturan etika: penyertaan dibenarkan, namun membawa ketidak-sucian sementara yang lenyap dengan masa dan tata laku yang benar.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrāddha-food, especially when connected with ancestral rites in the kṛṣṇapakṣa, is ritually sensitive: a qualified eater incurs a temporary impurity, but becomes purified after one full day and night, emphasizing regulated participation and time-bound purification in dharma.
Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma concerning śrāddha observances—specifically, the consequence and purification period for a dvija/brāhmaṇa who partakes of food offered to the ancestors during the dark fortnight.