Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 15
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
आर्चिष्मन्तो बर्हिषद: कव्यादा: पितरस्तथा । मृतस्याप्यनुमन्यन्ते मन्त्रान् मन्त्राश्ष कारणम्
arcīṣmanto barhiṣadaḥ kavyādāḥ pitaras tathā | mṛtasyāpy anumanyante mantrān mantrāś ca kāraṇam ||
迦毗罗说道：“被称为阿尔奇什玛特（Arcishmats）、婆尔希沙德（Barhishads）与迦毗耶达（Kavyādas）的祖灵诸父，也会准许为亡者诵持真言；因为真言乃是维系法（dharma）与正当秩序的根本因。”
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
That mantras are a fundamental support of dharma and ritual order, and that ancestral beings (Pitṛs) are understood to sanction mantra-recitation performed for the welfare of the deceased.
Kapila is explaining the ritual-ethical framework of ancestral rites: specific classes of Pitṛs—Arcīṣmantaḥ, Barhiṣadaḥ, and Kavyādāḥ—are said to approve the use of mantras even when the intended beneficiary is a dead person, underscoring the legitimacy and efficacy of such rites.