Shloka 15
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Public Request for Consent to Enter the Forest (अनुज्ञा-प्रार्थना)
एवं स पुत्रपौत्राणां पितृणामात्मनस्तथा । गान्धार्याश्व महाराज प्रददावौर्ध्वदेहिकम्
evaṁ sa putrapautrāṇāṁ pitṝṇām ātmanaḥ tathā | gāndhāryāś ca mahārāja pradadāv aurdhvadehikam ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Assim, ó grande rei, ele cumpriu devidamente os ritos pós-fúnebres (ūrdhva-dehika: śrāddha e oferendas correlatas) por seus filhos e netos, por seus antepassados, por si mesmo, e também por Gāndhārī—satisfazendo o dever ético de honrar os mortos e sustentar a ordem ancestral.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores pitṛ-dharma: the moral and ritual responsibility to honor the departed through prescribed offerings. Even amid loss and renunciation, one sustains social and cosmic continuity by remembering ancestors, family members, and fulfilling obligations without neglect.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra arranged and performed the aurdhvadehika rites—post-death offerings—for those connected to him: his sons and grandsons, his ancestors, himself (as a formal inclusion in the rite’s scope), and Gāndhārī, addressing the account to King Janamejaya.