Shloka 19
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
षड्भागपरिशुद्धं च कृषेर्भागमुपार्जितम् । वैश्यो ददद् द्विजातिभ्य: पापेभ्य: परिमुच्यते
ṣaḍbhāga-pariśuddhaṃ ca kṛṣer bhāgam upārjitam | vaiśyo dadad dvijātibhyaḥ pāpebhyaḥ parimucyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “A Vaiśya who lives by agriculture first pays the king’s due, the one-sixth share, and then, from what remains, gives pure—rightfully obtained—grain in charity to the twice-born; such a man is released from sins. The verse sets lawful taxation and clean charity forth as a dharmic economy that purifies the householder’s life.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma in economic life: first discharge the ruler’s legitimate due (ṣaḍbhāga), then give charity from what remains, ensuring the gift is ‘pure’—i.e., honestly earned and not withheld from rightful obligations. Such orderly, lawful giving is said to cleanse moral fault.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a rule about Vaiśya conduct: an agriculturist who pays the king’s share and then donates pure grain to the twice-born is described as becoming free from sins, highlighting the link between social duty, taxation, and meritorious giving.