Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 117
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
त्रीणि पूर्वाण्यपत्यानि मम तानि न संशय: । इति जानीत खगमा मम यज्ञफलं हि तत्
trīṇi pūrvāṇy apatyāni mama tāni na saṁśayaḥ | iti jānīta khagamā mama yajñaphalaṁ hi tat ||
Sinabi ni Vasiṣṭha: “Ang tatlong naunang isinilang ay akin—walang alinlangan. Alamin ninyo ito, O mga nilalang na naglalakbay sa himpapawid: ang bunga ng paghahandog na ito ay tunay na sa akin nauukol.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit (yajñaphala) is not arbitrary; it follows rightful agency and dharmic entitlement. Vasiṣṭha emphasizes that the fruit of a sacrifice belongs to the legitimate performer/owner, reinforcing ethical order in religious acts.
Vasiṣṭha addresses sky-ranging beings and asserts with certainty that certain earlier-born offspring are his, concluding from this claim that the sacrificial reward properly belongs to him.