Shloka 11
Śrāddha-utpatti and Nivāpa–Agni Precedence (श्राद्धोत्पत्तिः—निवापेऽग्निपूर्वकत्वम्)
श्राद्ध त्वभिजिता कुर्वन् भिषक्सिद्धिमवाप्रुयात् । श्रवणेषु ददच्छाद्धं प्रेत्य गच्छेत् स सद्गोतिम्
śrāddhaṃ tv abhijitā kurvan bhiṣak-siddhim avāpnuyāt | śravaṇeṣu dadac chrāddhaṃ pretya gacchet sa sad-gatim ||
Bhīṣma nói: Ai làm lễ śrāddha vào lúc sao Abhijit sẽ đạt thành tựu trong nghề y. Và ai bố thí lễ vật śrāddha vào lúc sao Śravaṇa, sau khi chết sẽ đến cảnh giới lành tốt, cát tường.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that śrāddha performed with proper auspicious timing (nakṣatra) yields specific fruits: worldly success (here, professional accomplishment for a physician) and spiritual benefit (a good post-mortem destination). It underscores the dharmic idea that faith-filled ancestral rites, done at appropriate times, generate merit.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including rules and fruits of śrāddha. Here he states the results of performing or donating śrāddha offerings when Abhijit or Śravaṇa nakṣatras prevail.