Shloka 28
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
ते श्राद्धेनाच्च्यमाना वै विमुच्यन्ते ह किल्बिषात् | सप्तकः पितृवंशस्तु पूर्वदृष्ट: स्वयम्भुवा
te śrāddhenāccyamānā vai vimucyante ha kilbiṣāt | saptakaḥ pitṛvaṁśas tu pūrvadṛṣṭaḥ svayambhuvā ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Sesungguhnya, apabila mereka dihormati dengan sempurna melalui upacara śrāddha, para leluhur dibebaskan daripada dosa. Adapun susur galur leluhur yang harus diseru dalam śrāddha ialah satu rangkaian tujuh, sebagaimana telah ditetapkan sejak zaman purba oleh Svayambhū (Brahmā).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrāddha, when performed as a dharmic act of honoring the ancestors, is presented as spiritually efficacious: it helps remove the ancestors’ moral taint (kilbiṣa) and fulfills one’s duty to the pitṛ-lineage, which is traditionally enumerated as seven.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he explains the benefit of śrāddha: the pitṛs are said to gain release from sin when properly worshipped, and he cites the ancient ordinance of Svayambhū (Brahmā) that the śrāddha-recipient ancestral line is reckoned as a set of seven.