Shloka 27
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
देवास्तु पितरो नाम निर्मिता ये स्वयम्भुवा । उष्णपा ये महाभागास्तेषां भाग: प्रकल्पित:
devāstu pitaro nāma nirmitā ye svayambhuvā | uṣṇapā ye mahābhāgāsteṣāṃ bhāgaḥ prakalpitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Certos seres divinos, trazidos à existência por Svayambhū (o Criador Auto-nascido), são conhecidos pelo nome de ‘Pitṛs’ (os Ancestrais). Esses ilustres Pitṛs também são chamados Uṣṇapā. Para eles, Svayambhū ordenou devidamente uma porção específica nas oferendas de śrāddha—afirmando que honrar os ancestrais é um dever sancionado no dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That honoring the Pitṛs through śrāddha is not optional sentiment but a dharmically authorized obligation: the Creator himself has assigned the Pitṛs their rightful share in offerings.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he identifies a class of beings called the Pitṛs—also termed Uṣṇapā—and explains their divine origin and their formally prescribed portion in śrāddha rites.