Shloka 30
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अव्रती कितव: स्तेन: प्राणिविक्रयिको वणिक् । पश्चाच्च पीतवान् सोमं स राजन् केतनक्षम:
Bhīṣma uvāca | avratī kitavaḥ stenaḥ prāṇivikrāyiko vaṇik | paścāc ca pītavān somaṃ sa rājan ketanakṣamaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Wahai Raja, sekalipun seseorang itu tidak berikrar, seorang penjudi dan penipu, pencuri, pedagang makhluk hidup, dan menyara diri sebagai saudagar—namun jika kemudian dia melaksanakan korban suci dengan sempurna dan telah meminum Soma dalam korban itu—maka dia juga menjadi layak untuk dijemput.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even those with censured conduct or livelihoods may regain ritual and social eligibility if they later undertake proper sacrificial observance—symbolized here by performing a Soma-yajna and drinking Soma—indicating a dharmic pathway for rehabilitation.
Bhishma, instructing the king on dharma and ritual norms, states that a person formerly marked by serious faults can still be considered fit to be invited to rites if he has subsequently performed a Soma-sacrifice correctly.