Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 693
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
ऋषयश्च महाभागा: पृच्छन्ति सम पितृंस्ततः । तब मरुदगणोंसहित सम्पूर्ण महाभाग देवता और परम सौभाग्यशाली ऋषियोंने पितरोंसे पूछा--
ṛṣayaś ca mahābhāgāḥ pṛcchanti sama-pitṝṃs tataḥ | tataḥ marud-gaṇaiḥ sahitaḥ sampūrṇaḥ mahābhāga-devatāḥ ca parama-saubhāgyaśālinaḥ ṛṣayaḥ pitṝn apṛcchan ||
于是，大福德的诸仙问于祖灵（Pitṛs）。当时，光辉的诸天——与风神众（Maruts）同来——以及至为有福的圣仙们趋近祖灵而发问，欲求关于正行与祖法之权威指示。
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic method: even gods and great sages seek clarification from the Pitṛs, acknowledging ancestral authority and the importance of learning right conduct through respectful inquiry.
In Śakra’s narration, the sages—along with the Maruts and other deities—approach the Pitṛs and question them, setting up a discourse where the Pitṛs will explain principles related to dharma and ancestral obligations.