Shloka 9
Instruction to the Brahmin
The Greatness of Piṇḍa and Prasāda on Mount Nīla
इति श्रुत्वाऽवदं चाहं कः पिंडः कस्य दीयते । तन्मम ब्रूत धर्मिष्ठाश्चतुर्भुजशरीरिणः
iti śrutvā'vadaṃ cāhaṃ kaḥ piṃḍaḥ kasya dīyate | tanmama brūta dharmiṣṭhāścaturbhujaśarīriṇaḥ
听了这话，我也说道：“这 piṇḍa（祭团）是献给谁的？又由谁来施与？”噢，最具正法者、具四臂之形的诸位，请告诉我。
Narrator / inquirer (the 'aham' speaking in first person)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: netherworld
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्रुत्वाऽवदं→श्रुत्वा अवदम्; चाहं→च अहम्; तन्मम→तत् मम; धर्मिष्ठाश्चतुर्भुजशरीरिणः→धर्मिष्ठाः चतुर्भुजशरीरिणः.
FAQs
Piṇḍa refers to the rice-ball (and related) offering made in śrāddha/ancestral rites, intended for specific recipients such as pitṛs (ancestors) according to ritual rules.
Caturbhuja is a standard marker of divine/otherworldly, often Viṣṇu-associated iconography; here it identifies the addressed beings as exalted, authoritative figures capable of explaining dharma and ritual recipients.
It highlights the importance of clarity and correctness in dharma: offerings should be made with proper knowledge of who is entitled to receive them, rather than by assumption or vague custom.