Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
एतच्छुत्वा तु पितरस्ततस्ते विज्वरा3भवन् । एतस्मात् कारणाच्चाग्ने: प्राक् तावद् दीयते नूप
etac chrutvā tu pitaraḥ tataḥ te vijvarā abhavan | etasmāt kāraṇāc cāgneḥ prāk tāvad dīyate nṛpa, nareśvara |
毗湿摩说道：“诸祖灵（Pitṛs）听闻此言，便脱离忧惧与苦恼。因此，国王啊，正因这一缘故，在施行施罗陀（śrāddha）祭仪时，首先要将供献献给阿耆尼（Agni，火神）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse grounds ritual precedence in ethical-religious causality: because Agni’s share brings reassurance and well-being to the ancestors, śrāddha offerings begin with Agni, affirming proper order (krama) in dharma and rites.
Bhīṣma explains to the king that after the Pitṛs heard a certain explanation (from the preceding context), they became free of distress; consequently, tradition prescribes that in śrāddha the first portion is offered to Agni.