Shloka 6
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
गाथाश्षचाप्यत्र गायन्ति पितृगीता युधिष्ठिर । सनत्कुमारो भगवान् पुरा मय्यभ्यभाषत,युधिष्ठिर! इस विषयमें पितरोंद्वारा गायी हुई गाथाका भी विज्ञ पुरुष गान करते हैं। पूर्वकालमें भगवान् सनत्कुमारने मुझे यह गाथा बतायी थी
gāthāś cāpy atra gāyanti pitṛ-gītā yudhiṣṭhira | sanatkumāro bhagavān purā mayy abhyabhāṣata ||
Bhishma disse: “Aqui, ó Yudhishthira, os sábios também cantam uma gāthā tradicional—um verso entoado pelos Pitṛs (os Pais ancestrais). Há muito tempo, o venerável Sanatkumāra me recitou esta mesma gāthā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma grounds his instruction in authoritative tradition: a gāthā attributed to the Pitṛs and transmitted by the revered sage Sanatkumāra. The verse emphasizes that ethical guidance (dharma) is preserved and validated through respected ancestral and sage lineages.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhishthira in Anuśāsana Parva, introduces a traditional stanza. He notes that learned people recite it and adds that Sanatkumāra taught it to him in ancient times, thereby establishing the forthcoming teaching’s credibility.