Shloka 3
Śrāddha-pravṛtti-kathana and Varjya-dravya-nirdeśa
Origin and Prohibitions in Śrāddha
भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! श्राद्धवेत्ताओंने श्राद्ध-कल्पमें जो हविष्य नियत किये हैं, वे सब-के-सब काम्य हैं। मैं उनका तथा उनके फलका वर्णन करता हूँ, सुनो ।।
bhīṣma uvāca—yudhiṣṭhira! śrāddhavettābhiḥ śrāddhakalpe ye haviṣyāṇi niyatāni, tāni sarvāṇi kāmyāni. ahaṃ teṣāṃ ca teṣāṃ phalānāṃ ca varṇanaṃ karomi—śṛṇu. tilair vrīhiyavair māṣair adbhiḥ mūlaphalaiḥ tathā | dattena māsaṃ prīyante śrāddhena pitaro nṛpa ||
毗湿摩说道：“由提施提罗啊，凡通晓 śrāddha 之学者在 śrāddha 仪轨中所规定的诸供品，皆能随愿而结其果。我将叙述其类与其报应——且听。大王啊，以芝麻、稻米、大麦、黑豆（乌拉豆）、清水，并以根茎与果实行 śrāddha 祭供，则诸 Pitṛ（祖灵）得以满足整整一月。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that specific, scripturally prescribed śrāddha offerings (haviṣya)—such as sesame, rice, barley, black gram, water, and roots/fruits—produce definite results: they please the ancestors, here stated as granting satisfaction for a month. The ethical emphasis is on performing ancestral duties according to śāstra with proper materials and intention.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he begins enumerating the kinds of śrāddha offerings and the duration of benefit they confer upon the Pitṛs, starting with a set of common ritual substances and their one-month effect.