Shloka 33
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
क्रियमाणे5पवर्गे च यो द्विजो भरतर्षभ । न व्याहरति यद्युक्त तस्याधर्मो गवानृतम्
kriyamāṇe ’pavarge ca yo dvijo bharatarṣabha | na vyāharati yadyuktaṃ tasyādharmo gavānṛtam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bharata, apabila suatu upacara yang bertujuan memperoleh ‘pembebasan’ (apavarga)—suatu perbuatan suci yang menambah pahala—sedang dilaksanakan, lalu seorang dvija (yang ‘dua kali lahir’) tidak mengucapkan kata-kata yang patut dan ditetapkan, maka kelalaian itu menjadi adharma baginya—suatu ketidakbenaran seberat berdusta tentang seekor lembu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In sacred contexts, especially rites aimed at spiritual uplift, silence or failure to recite what is duly prescribed is itself a breach of dharma; ethical responsibility includes speaking the right words at the right time.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma teachings, emphasizes the moral weight of correct ritual speech: neglecting proper utterance during a liberation-oriented rite is counted as serious wrongdoing.