Shloka 56
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
येषां नाग्रभुजो विप्रा देवतातिथिबालका: । राक्षसानेव तान् विद्धि निर्विशड्कानमड़्लान्,जो लोग अपने भोजन करनेसे पहले देवताओं, ब्राह्मणों, अतिथियों और बालकोंको भोजन नहीं कराते, उन्हें भयरहित अमंगलकारी राक्षस ही समझो
yeṣāṃ nāgrabhūjo viprā devatātithibālakāḥ | rākṣasān eva tān viddhi nirviśaṅkān amaṅgalān ||
Śukra sprach: Jene Menschen, die essen, ohne zuvor Speise den Göttern, den Brāhmaṇas, den Gästen und den Kindern darzubringen—wisset, sie sind wie Rākṣasas: furchtlos im Unrecht und Bringer von Unheil.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not begin eating without first providing for the gods (as offering), Brahmins, guests, and children. Neglecting these prior claims is portrayed as a grave ethical failure, likened to the conduct of rākṣasas—bold in wrongdoing and productive of inauspicious outcomes.
Śukra is delivering a moral instruction within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader discourse on right conduct. He uses a sharp comparison—calling such neglectful eaters 'like rākṣasas'—to stress that hospitality and giving are foundational markers of civilized, dharmic life.