Shloka 7
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
पितृणां परमं भोज्यं तिला: सृष्टा: स्वयम्भुवा । तिलदानेन वै तस्मात् पितृपक्ष: प्रमोदते
bhīṣma uvāca | pitṝṇāṃ paramaṃ bhojyaṃ tilāḥ sṛṣṭāḥ svayambhuvā | tiladānena vai tasmāt pitṛpakṣaḥ pramodate ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang linga (sesame), na nilikha ng Sariling-Isinilang (Brahmā), ang pinakadakilang handog na pagkain para sa mga Pitṛ (mga espiritu ng ninuno). Kaya sa pag-aalay ng linga, ang Pitṛpakṣa—panahong iniuukol sa mga ninuno—ay nagiging sanhi ng malaking kagalakan para sa kanila.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sesame is presented as the most fitting offering for the ancestors; donating it during ancestral rites is a dharmic act that brings satisfaction to the Pitṛs, emphasizing sincerity and prescribed simplicity in ritual charity.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and gifts (dāna) within the Anuśāsana Parva, he explains the special ritual value of sesame in śrāddha-related observances, linking its cosmic origin (from Brahmā) to its efficacy for Pitṛs, especially in Pitṛpakṣa.