Shloka 3

प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting

Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच यथा श्राद्धं सम्प्रवृत्तं यस्मिन्‌ काले यदात्मकम्‌ । येन संकल्पितं चैव तन्‍्मे शूणु जनाधिप

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | yathā śrāddhaṃ sampravṛttaṃ yasmin kāle yadātmakam | yena saṅkalpitaṃ caiva tan me śṛṇu janādhipa ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“人中王啊，且听我言。我将告诉你：祭祖之礼——室罗陀（śrāddha）——最初如何兴起；它在何时、以何种方式开始流行；其根本体性为何；又是谁最先发愿构思并加以建立。”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'yathā': 'how, in what manner', 'śrāddham': 'the śrāddha rite

• ancestral offering performed with faith', 'sampravṛttam': 'set in motion

• became established', 'yasmin kāle': 'at which time

• in what period/occasion', 'yad-ātmakam (yadātmakam)': 'of what nature

• having what essential character', 'yena': 'by whom

• through whom', 'saṅkalpitam': 'resolved upon

• formally intended/ordained (as a rite)', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• also', 'tat': 'that (matter)', 'me': 'from me

• my', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'janādhipa': 'O ruler of people

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Janādhipa (the king, i.e., Yudhishthira)
• Śrāddha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames śrāddha as a dharmic institution whose authority rests on its origin, proper time, and essential nature; Bhishma signals that correct ritual practice depends on understanding its intended purpose and the precedent set by the first institutor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a didactic explanation to the king (Yudhishthira), introducing a forthcoming account of when śrāddha began, what constitutes it, and who first established it as a formal rite.