Shloka 42
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
“सब प्रकारका नमक, जामुनका फल तथा छींक या आँसूसे दूषित हुए पदार्थ भी श्राद्धमें त्याग देने चाहिये ।।
sarva-prakārakaṁ lavaṇaṁ jāmbū-phalaṁ tathā kṣīṅka-aśru-dūṣitaṁ dravyaṁ śrāddhe tyājyaṁ || nivāpe havya-kavye vā garhitaṁ ca sudarśanam | pitaraś ca hi devāś ca nābhinandanti tad dhaviḥ ||
Bhishma teaches that in rites for the ancestors (śrāddha), certain items must be excluded as ritually unfit: all kinds of salt, jamun fruit, and any substance tainted by sneezing or tears. He further states that in offerings meant for gods and ancestors (havya and kavya), the plant called “sudarśana” is censured; the Fathers and the divine recipients do not approve of such an oblation. The ethical thrust is careful purity and appropriateness in ancestral worship, where intention must be matched by disciplined observance.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrāddha requires disciplined ritual appropriateness: offerings must be free from impurity and must exclude items traditionally deemed unsuitable, because acceptance by the Pitṛs and the deities is tied to both intention and correct observance.
Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma, lays down practical śrāddha regulations—naming specific substances to avoid and stating that certain offerings (including the plant called sudarśana) are not approved by the Viśvedevas and the Pitṛs in havya-kavya contexts.