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Shloka 16

अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता

Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality

ज्ञानपूर्व तु ये तेभ्य: प्रयच्छन्त्यल्पबुद्धय: । पुरीषं भुज्जते तेषां पितर: प्रेत्य निश्चय:

jñānapūrvaṃ tu ye tebhyaḥ prayacchanty alpabuddhayaḥ | purīṣaṃ bhuñjate teṣāṃ pitaraḥ pretya niścayaḥ ||

بھیشم نے کہا— جو کم فہم لوگ جان بوجھ کر ایسے پَنکتی کو آلودہ کرنے والے برہمنوں کو شرادھ میں اناج کا دان دیتے ہیں، ان کے پِتر پرلوک میں یقیناً گندگی ہی کھاتے ہیں۔

ज्ञानपूर्वम्knowingly, with prior knowledge
ज्ञानपूर्वम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootज्ञान-पूर्व
FormAvyaya (adverbial)
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
FormAvyaya
येthose who
ये:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, nominative, plural
तेभ्यःto them
तेभ्यः:
Sampradana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, dative, plural
प्रयच्छन्तिgive, bestow
प्रयच्छन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootदा (यच्छ्)
FormPresent tense (laṭ), parasmaipada, 3rd person, plural
अल्पबुद्धयःpeople of little understanding
अल्पबुद्धयः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअल्प-बुद्धि
FormMasculine, nominative, plural
पुरीषम्feces, excrement
पुरीषम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपुरीष
FormNeuter, accusative, singular
भुञ्जतेeat, partake
भुञ्जते:
TypeVerb
Rootभुज्
FormPresent tense (laṭ), ātmanepada, 3rd person, plural
तेषाम्of them
तेषाम्:
Sambandha
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, genitive, plural
पितरःthe ancestors (pitṛs)
पितरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
FormMasculine, nominative, plural
प्रेत्यhaving departed (after death)
प्रेत्य:
TypeVerbal indeclinable
Rootप्र-इ (इ)
FormAbsolutive (ktvā/lyap), avyaya
निश्चयःcertainly; it is certain
निश्चयः:
TypeNoun
Rootनिश्चय
FormMasculine, nominative, singular

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
P
Pitaraḥ (ancestors)
P
pāṅkti-dūṣaka brāhmaṇas (line-defiling/corrupt Brahmins)
Ś
śrāddha (ancestral rite/food-offering)

Educational Q&A

Charity and ritual offerings must be guided by discernment: knowingly giving śrāddha food to unworthy, corrupt recipients destroys the intended merit and instead yields a painful, degrading result for one’s ancestors.

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he warns about improper conduct in śrāddha: if a person, despite knowing the recipients are pāṅkti-dūṣaka (ritually and socially corrupt), still feeds them in the ancestral rite, the pitṛs do not receive sanctified benefit; the outcome is described as the pitṛs consuming filth in the afterlife.