Shloka 24

प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting

Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue

Devanagari script

विश्वेदेवाश्व ये नित्यं पितृभि: सह गोचरा: । तेभ्य: संकल्पिता भागा: स्वयमेव स्वयम्भुवा

Transliteration

Viśvedevāś ca ye nityaṃ pitṛbhiḥ saha gocarāḥ | tebhyaḥ saṅkalpitā bhāgāḥ svayam eva svayambhuvā ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“至于常与祖灵（Pitṛs）同行的毗湿毗天众（Viśvedevas），其应得之份早已由自生者（Svayambhū，梵天）亲自敕定。因此，在以正确发音诵持吠陀真言、完成先行仪轨之后，应当恒常奉献其应得之分给与阿耆尼、苏摩、伐楼那及祖灵同住的毗湿毗天众。”

Word by Word

• {'विश्वेदेवाः (Viśvedevāḥ)': 'the ‘All-gods’

• a collective class of deities invoked in Vedic rites', 'ये (ye)': 'who, those who', 'नित्यम् (nityam)': 'always, continually

• regularly', 'पितृभिः (pitṛbhiḥ)': 'with the ancestors (Pitṛs)', 'सह (saha)': 'together with', 'गोचराः (gocarāḥ)': 'moving/associated in the sphere

• companions in their range of activity', 'तेभ्यः (tebhyaḥ)': 'to them', 'संकल्पिताः (saṅkalpitāḥ)': 'assigned, determined, ordained', 'भागाः (bhāgāḥ)': 'shares, portions (especially sacrificial offerings)', 'स्वयम् (svayam)': 'personally, by himself', 'एव (eva)': 'indeed, precisely', 'स्वयम्भुवा (svayambhuvā)': 'by Svayambhū

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• भीष्म (Bhīṣma)
• विश्वेदेवाः (Viśvedevas)
• पितरः (Pitṛs)
• स्वयम्भू (Svayambhū/Brahmā)
• अग्नि (Agni)
• सोम (Soma)
• वरुण (Varuṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That ritual offerings are not arbitrary: the portions due to the Viśvedevas (and their association with the Pitṛs) are divinely ordained by Svayambhū (Brahmā), so one should regularly and correctly offer their share as part of dharmic ancestral and sacrificial observance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is instructing on proper religious conduct (especially offerings connected with the Pitṛs and Vedic rites), stating that the Viśvedevas—ever associated with the ancestors—have fixed sacrificial shares established by Brahmā, and thus should be duly honored in the sequence of ritual offerings.