Shloka 296
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
कं वा प्रीणयते देव॑ कथं तारयते पितृन् | किंतु पहले पिण्डको उठाकर जो नीचे जलमें डाल देनेकी बात कही गयी है
kaṃ vā prīṇayate devaḥ kathaṃ tārayate pitṝn | kintu pūrve piṇḍakaṃ utthāpya yo nīce jalasmin dālayituṃ uktaḥ, tasya anusarataḥ yadi sa jalasmin dālyate tarhi sa kasya prāpyate? kaṃ devatāṃ tṛptayati? kathaṃ ca pitṝn tārayati?
ทูตเทพทูลถามว่า “ข้าแต่เทพ การบูชานี้แท้จริงทำให้ผู้ใดพอใจ และยกปิตฤให้ข้ามพ้นได้อย่างไร? ก่อนหน้านี้กล่าวว่าให้ยกปิณฑะแล้วทิ้งลงในน้ำ หากทิ้งลงในน้ำตามที่สอนไว้แล้ว จะไปถึงผู้ใด ทำให้เทพองค์ใดอิ่มเอม และจะยังบรรพชนให้พ้นไปด้วยวิธีใด?”
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into ritual efficacy: an act (casting the piṇḍa into water) must have a clear recipient and purpose—who is satisfied, and by what mechanism do ancestors benefit? It emphasizes that rites are not mere gestures; their meaning, intended recipient, and ethical-ritual logic should be understood.
A divine messenger questions a prior instruction about śrāddha procedure—lifting a piṇḍa and dropping it into water. The messenger asks for clarification: to whom does the offering go, which deity is pleased, and how this act results in the ‘deliverance’ of the pitṛs.