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Shloka 6

नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा

Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings

यथा सिद्धस्य चान्नस्य ग्रहायाग्रं प्रदीयते | बलयश्न गृहोद्देशे अतः प्रीयन्ति देवता:

yathā siddhasya cānnasya grahāyāgraṃ pradīyate | balayaś ca gṛhodddeśe ataḥ prīyanti devatāḥ ||

毗湿摩说道:“正如饭食烹制妥当之后,先取第一份奉与宾客;同样地,在家中也要先分出一份食物作为巴利供献诸天。以此先行供献之举,诸神欢喜。”

यथाjust as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
सिद्धस्यof the prepared (food)
सिद्धस्य:
TypeAdjective
Rootसिद्ध
FormNeuter, Genitive, Singular
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
अन्नस्यof food
अन्नस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootअन्न
FormNeuter, Genitive, Singular
ग्रहायfor taking/receiving (i.e., for the receiver/guest)
ग्रहाय:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootग्रह
FormMasculine, Dative, Singular
अग्रंthe first portion
अग्रं:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअग्र
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
प्रदीयतेis given
प्रदीयते:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र-दा
FormPresent, Passive, Third, Singular
बलिंan offering (bali)
बलिं:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootबलि
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
ह्यindeed/for
ह्य:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
गृह-उद्देशेin the place/area of the house
गृह-उद्देशे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootगृह + उद्देश
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
अतःtherefore/thereby
अतः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअतः
प्रीयन्तिare pleased
प्रीयन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootप्री
FormPresent, Atmanepada, Third, Plural
देवताःthe deities
देवताः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootदेवता
FormFeminine, Nominative, Plural

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
G
guest (atithi/graha)
F
food (anna)
B
bali (offering)
D
deities (devatāḥ)
H
household (gṛha)

Educational Q&A

A householder should practice disciplined generosity: before consuming what is prepared, one should first honor others—guests and the divine—by offering the first share. This prioritizes gratitude, social responsibility, and reverence as foundations of dharma.

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains a domestic rule of conduct: as the first portion of cooked food is given to a guest, similarly a household sets aside a bali (food offering) for the deities; such offerings are said to please the gods.