Shloka 1
Agastya-Māhātmya and Vasiṣṭha’s Protection of the Ādityas
Khalina Daityas; Sarayū Etiology
औपनआक्रात बछ। सर: पजञ्चत्रिशर्दाधिकशततमोब् ध्याय: जिनका अन्न ग्रहण करने योग्य है और जिनका ग्रहण करने योग्य नहीं है, उन मनुष्योंका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच के भोज्या ब्राह्मणस्येह के भोज्या: क्षत्रियस्य ह | तथा वैश्यस्य के भोज्या: के शूद्रस्य च भारत,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--भरतनन्दन! इस जगत्में ब्राह्यणको किनके यहाँ भोजन करना चाहिये, क्षत्रियको किनके घरका अन्न ग्रहण करना चाहिये तथा वैश्य और शूद्रको किन- किन लोगोंके घर भोजन करना चाहिये?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | bhojyā brāhmaṇasyeha ke bhojyāḥ kṣatriyasya ha | tathā vaiśyasya ke bhojyāḥ ke śūdrasya ca bhārata ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Bhārata, in this world from whose hands is it proper for a brāhmaṇa to accept food? From whose hands is it proper for a kṣatriya? Likewise, from whom may a vaiśya accept food, and from whom a śūdra?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an inquiry into dharma concerning food acceptance: which sources of food are considered permissible or impermissible for each varṇa, implying that ethical conduct, purity, and the character of the giver affect what may be accepted.
Yudhiṣṭhira initiates a discussion by asking Bhīṣma (addressed here as ‘Bhārata’) to specify the proper households or persons from whom members of the four varṇas may take food, setting up a detailed ethical discourse in the chapter.