Shloka 40
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
ग्राम्यवाराहमांसं च यच्चैवाप्रोक्षितं भवेत् । कृष्णाजाजी विडश्चैव शीतपाकी तथैव च । अंकुराद्यास्तथा वर्ज्या इह शृंगाटकानि च
grāmyavārāhamāṁsaṁ ca yac caivāprokṣitaṁ bhavet | kṛṣṇājājī viḍaś caiva śītapākī tathaiva ca | aṅkurādyās tathā varjyā iha śṛṅgāṭakāni ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “One should avoid village boar’s flesh, and also any food that has not been ritually sprinkled (purified). Likewise, kṛṣṇājājī, viḍa, and śītapākī are to be avoided; and so too sprouts and similar items, as well as water-chestnuts here.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lays down a rule of disciplined conduct (ācāra) concerning food: certain meats and specific items, as well as food lacking ritual purification (sprinkling), are to be avoided. The ethical emphasis is on purity, restraint, and adherence to prescribed standards of living.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he is enumerating particular food items regarded as unsuitable within the discussed regimen, continuing a broader set of prescriptive guidelines.