Shloka 18
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अग्रणीर्य: कृत: पूर्व वर्णावरपरिग्रह: । ब्राह्मण: सर्वविद्योडपि राजन् नाहति केतनम्
agraṇīr yaḥ kṛtaḥ pūrvaṃ varṇāvaraparigrahaḥ | brāhmaṇaḥ sarvavidyāḍhyo 'pi rājan nārhati ketanam ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, a Brahmin who was formerly a leader of society but later contracted an improper marriage across the social orders is not fit to be invited for the śrāddha rites, even if he is richly endowed with learning in all branches of knowledge.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual eligibility in śrāddha is presented as dependent not only on learning but also on adherence to prescribed social and marital norms; transgressing those norms can disqualify a person from being invited, even if highly learned.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma, including rules for ancestral rites (śrāddha). Here he states a criterion for whom one should not invite to participate in śrāddha: a Brahmin who, despite former eminence and great learning, has entered an improper cross-order marriage.