Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 166

Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa

Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच इत्युक्त:स वसिष्ठेन जामदग्न्य: प्रतापवान्‌ । ददै सुवर्ण विप्रेभ्यो व्यमुच्यत च किल्बिषात्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca ity uktaḥ sa vasiṣṭhena jāmadagnyaḥ pratāpavān | dadau suvarṇaṃ viprebhyo vyamucyata ca kilbiṣāt ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：如是受婆悉吒教诲后，英勇的阇摩达格尼亚将黄金施与婆罗门；据说因此他得以从罪垢中解脱。

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• उक्तः: having been told / addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वसिष्ठेन: by Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• जामदग्न्यः: Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma)
• जामदग्न्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जामदग्न्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रतापवान्: mighty, valorous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ददौ: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सुवर्णम्: gold
• सुवर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विप्रेभ्यः: to the Brahmins
• विप्रेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Plural

• व्यमुच्यत: was released / became free
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, वि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• किल: indeed, it is said
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल

• किल्बिषात्: from sin / guilt
• किल्बिषात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: किल्बिष
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Vasiṣṭha
• Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma)
• vipra (Brahmins)
• suvarṇa (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Right counsel from a righteous authority should be followed, and wrongdoing is ethically addressed through acts of restitution and generosity (dāna), which purify the doer from moral fault (kilbiṣa).

What is happening in the narrative?

After being advised by the sage Vasiṣṭha, Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma) gives gold to Brahmins; as a result, he is said to be freed from sin.