Shloka 266
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
पाविता वै भविष्यन्ति पावन हि परं हि तत् | “धर्मज्ञ! ऐसा करनेसे हम और हमारे सभी पितामह पवित्र हो जायूँगे; क्योंकि सुवर्ण सबसे अधिक पावन वस्तु है
pāvitā vai bhaviṣyanti pāvana hi paraṃ hi tat |
“โอ้ผู้รู้ธรรม! หากกระทำเช่นนี้ เราและบรรพชนทั้งปวงจักบริสุทธิ์; เพราะทองคำได้รับการนับถือว่าเป็นสิ่งชำระล้างอันสูงสุด”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain acts—especially those involving highly valued, ritually “pure” substances like gold—are believed to confer purification and merit not only on the doer but also on one’s lineage, emphasizing responsibility toward ancestors and the ethical intent behind purificatory action.
Bhishma is explaining to his listener that performing the proposed act will purify them and their forefathers, justifying it by citing the traditional view that gold is supremely purifying.