Shloka 13

अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता

Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality

Devanagari script

सोमविक्रयिणे विष्ठा भिषजे पूयशोणितम्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | somavikrayiṇe viṣṭhā bhiṣaje pūyaśoṇitam |

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“施罗达（śrāddha）中所供之食，若施与贩卖苏摩（soma）者，于祖灵（Pitṛ）而言等同粪秽；若供养医者，则如脓血一般——祖先不堪受纳。又，施罗达之施与以庙宇供奉为生者，被说为徒然耗散，毫无果报。施与放债取息者，其果不稳；而施罗达中施与经商之人，则今世无益，后世亦无益。”

Word by Word

• सोमविक्रयिणे: to the seller of soma
• सोमविक्रयिणे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमविक्रयिन्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• विष्ठा: feces/excrement
• विष्ठा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्ठा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भिषजे: to a physician
• भिषजे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिषज्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• पूयशोणितम्: pus and blood
• पूयशोणितम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूयशोणित
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• Pitrs (Pitṛs)
• Soma
• Physician (Bhiṣaj)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Śrāddha offerings are not merely about giving food; the recipient’s suitability (as defined by dharma-text norms) affects the spiritual efficacy. Bhishma uses stark metaphors to warn that giving śrāddha-food to certain livelihoods is treated as ritually unfit and fruitless for the ancestors.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about dharma, specifically rules and cautions regarding śrāddha and charitable gifts. This verse lists categories of recipients considered improper for śrāddha, emphasizing consequences for the rite’s intended benefit to the Pitṛs.