Shloka 6
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
यथा सिद्धस्य चान्नस्य ग्रहायाग्रं प्रदीयते | बलयश्न गृहोद्देशे अतः प्रीयन्ति देवता:
yathā siddhasya cānnasya grahāyāgraṃ pradīyate | balayaś ca gṛhodddeśe ataḥ prīyanti devatāḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Assim como, quando o alimento foi devidamente preparado, a primeira porção é oferecida ao hóspede, do mesmo modo, numa casa, separa-se uma oferenda de comida (bali) para as divindades. Por esse ato de oferenda prévia, os deuses se comprazem.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder should practice disciplined generosity: before consuming what is prepared, one should first honor others—guests and the divine—by offering the first share. This prioritizes gratitude, social responsibility, and reverence as foundations of dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains a domestic rule of conduct: as the first portion of cooked food is given to a guest, similarly a household sets aside a bali (food offering) for the deities; such offerings are said to please the gods.