Shloka 6
Vyāsa’s Counsel to the Concealed Pāṇḍavas; Śaṃkara’s Boon and the Predestination of Draupadī
Chapter 157
अर्ध ते भुञज्जते वीरा: सह मात्रा परंतपा: | अर्ध सर्वस्य भैक्षस्य भीमो भुड्क्ते महाबल:,वे चारों वीर परंतप पाण्डव अपनी माताके साथ आधी भिक्षाका उपयोग करते थे और सम्पूर्ण भिक्षाका आधा भाग अकेले महाबली भीमसेन खाते थे
ardhaṃ te bhuñjate vīrāḥ saha mātrā parantapāḥ | ardhaṃ sarvasya bhaikṣyasya bhīmo bhuṅkte mahābalaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Jene vier heldenhaften Brüder, Feindesbezwinger, verzehrten die Hälfte der Almosen zusammen mit ihrer Mutter; und von allem, was an jenem Tag erbettelt worden war, aß Bhīma allein—der von gewaltiger Kraft—die andere Hälfte.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in scarcity, the Pandavas maintain an ethic of ordered sharing and care for their mother; individual needs (Bhīma’s great appetite due to strength) are accommodated within a framework of collective responsibility rather than selfishness.
While living in difficult circumstances and subsisting on begged food, the brothers divide the alms: the four brothers eat one half together with their mother, and Bhīma alone consumes the remaining half.