Shloka 22
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
न्यायेनैवाप्तमन्नं तु नरो हर्षसमन्वित: । द्विजेभ्यो वेदवृद्धेभ्यो दत्त्वा पापात् प्रमुच्यते
nyāyenaivāptam annaṁ tu naro harṣa-samanvitaḥ | dvijebhyo veda-vṛddhebhyo dattvā pāpāt pramucyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “A person who acquires food by righteous means and, with gladness, gives it in charity to the twice-born Brāhmaṇas who are mature in Vedic learning, becomes released from sin. The verse frames charity as ethically effective only when both the means of acquisition and the spirit of giving are aligned with dharma.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity purifies when it is supported by dharmic livelihood (food obtained by just means) and offered with a joyful, respectful intention to worthy recipients—here, Veda-learned Brahmins—leading to release from sin.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a rule of ethical giving: the donor should first ensure righteous acquisition, then give food gladly to qualified Brahmins, which is said to remove sinful bondage.