Shloka 8
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
विघसाशी कथं च स्याद् सदा चैवातिथिप्रिय: । अमृताशी सदा च स्यात् पवित्री च सदा भवेत्
vighasāśī kathaṃ ca syād sadā caivātithipriyaḥ | amṛtāśī sadā ca syāt pavitrī ca sadā bhavet ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wie kann man ein vighasāśin werden — nur das essend, was übrig bleibt, nachdem andere gespeist wurden — und stets Freude daran haben, Gäste zu ehren? Wie kann man leben, als nähre man sich von Nektar, und im Verhalten fortwährend läuternd werden?“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to dharma expressed through hospitality and self-restraint: one should prioritize feeding others (especially guests) before oneself, thereby cultivating purity and a life that feels ‘nectar-like’ through righteous conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he frames an inquiry about the disciplines and attitudes by which a person becomes devoted to guests, eats only after serving others, and attains a consistently purifying way of life.