Shloka 193

अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः

The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī

Devanagari script

पुष्टिरायुस्तथा वीर्य श्रीक्षैव पितृभक्तित: । अत: जो इस बातको जानते हैं

Transliteration

puṣṭir āyus tathā vīryaṁ śrīś caiva pitṛbhaktitaḥ |

Translation

毗湿摩宣示：“敬奉祖灵（Pitṛ）能带来切实的福报：滋养安泰、寿命绵长、精力勇健，以及富贵吉祥（室利/拉克什米）。因此，明白此理者当摄心专注，常以水供奉诸祖灵——尤在行旅之时；并且在黑半月（kṛṣṇa-pakṣa）的新月日（amāvāsyā），务必举行施祖祭（śrāddha）。”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'puṣṭiḥ', 'definition': 'nourishment

• well-being'}, {'term': 'āyuḥ', 'definition': 'life-span

• longevity'}, {'term': 'vīryam', 'definition': 'vigor

• potency'}, {'term': 'śrīḥ', 'definition': 'prosperity

• auspiciousness'}, {'term': 'pitṛ-bhaktiḥ', 'definition': 'devotion to the ancestors (Pitṛs)

• filial piety toward forebears'}, {'term': 'pitaraḥ (Pitṛs)', 'definition': 'ancestral spirits

• forefathers as recipients of rites'}, {'term': 'udaka-dāna (implied by context)', 'definition': 'offering of water (tarpana) to the ancestors'}, {'term': 'śrāddha (contextual)', 'definition': 'ancestral rite/oblation performed with faith for the benefit of the Pitṛs'}, {'term': 'kṛṣṇa-pakṣa (contextual)', 'definition': 'the dark fortnight of the lunar month'}, {'term': 'amāvāsyā (contextual)', 'definition': 'new-moon day

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• amāvāsyā (new-moon day)
• kṛṣṇa-pakṣa (dark fortnight)
• śrāddha
• udaka (water offering/tarpana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Devotion to the ancestors (pitṛbhakti), expressed through rites like water-offering and śrāddha—especially on amāvāsyā—yields well-being (puṣṭi), longevity (āyuḥ), vigor (vīrya), and prosperity (śrī). The verse frames ancestral gratitude as a sustaining pillar of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on duties and observances. Here he is teaching the proper regard for the Pitṛs, recommending focused offerings and highlighting the new-moon of the dark fortnight as an important occasion for śrāddha.