Shloka 33
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
क्रियमाणे5पवर्गे च यो द्विजो भरतर्षभ । न व्याहरति यद्युक्त तस्याधर्मो गवानृतम्
kriyamāṇe ’pavarge ca yo dvijo bharatarṣabha | na vyāharati yadyuktaṃ tasyādharmo gavānṛtam ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “O toro sa mga Bharata, kapag isinasagawa ang isang ritwal na naglalayong magtamo ng ‘paglaya’ (apavarga)—isang banal na gawaing nag-iipon ng kabutihang-loob—kung ang isang dvija (dalawang ulit na isinilang) ay hindi bumibigkas ng nararapat at itinakdang mga salita, ang pagkukulang na iyon ay nagiging adharma para sa kanya—isang kasinungalingang kasingbigat ng pagsisinungaling tungkol sa isang baka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In sacred contexts, especially rites aimed at spiritual uplift, silence or failure to recite what is duly prescribed is itself a breach of dharma; ethical responsibility includes speaking the right words at the right time.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma teachings, emphasizes the moral weight of correct ritual speech: neglecting proper utterance during a liberation-oriented rite is counted as serious wrongdoing.