Shloka 21
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
सो<यं स्वयम्भुविहितो धर्म: संकल्पितस्त्वया । ऋते स्वयम्भुव: कोडन्य: श्राद्धेयं विधिमाहरेत्
so ’yaṁ svayambhuvihito dharmaḥ saṅkalpitas tvayā | ṛte svayambhuvaḥ ko ’nyaḥ śrāddheyaṁ vidhim āharet ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “Ang dharmang ito na iyong pinanghahawakan ay yaong unang itinakda ni Svayambhu (Brahmā). Sino pa, bukod kay Svayambhu mismo, ang makapagtatakda ng wastong paraan ng mga handog sa śrāddha? Kaya ang iyong pagsasagawa ay ayon sa sinaunang tuntuning itinatag ni Brahmā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse grounds śrāddha and related dharma in primordial authority: the correct ritual procedure is not arbitrary but traced to Svayambhu (Brahmā), implying that faithful observance aligns one with an original, universally sanctioned order.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, affirms that the listener’s performance follows the ancient rule established by Brahmā and rhetorically emphasizes that no one else could authoritatively prescribe the śrāddha-vidhi.