Shloka 82
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
बालानामथ वृद्धानां दासानां चैव ये नरा: । अदत्त्वा भक्षयन्त्यग्रे ते वै निरयगामिन:,जो बालकों, बूढ़ों और सेवकोंको दिये बिना ही पहले स्वयं भोजन कर लेते हैं, वे भी निःसंदेह नरकगामी होते हैं
bālānām atha vṛddhānāṁ dāsānāṁ caiva ye narāḥ | adattvā bhakṣayanty agre te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Those men who eat first without first giving food to children, the elderly, and servants are, without doubt, destined for hell. The verse frames feeding dependents and the vulnerable before oneself as a basic duty of household dharma and an ethical test of compassion and restraint.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not satisfy oneself first; feeding children, elders, and those who serve in the household is a primary obligation. Neglecting them and eating first is treated as a serious breach of dharma with grave karmic consequences.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he lays down a rule of conduct for household life: the vulnerable and dependents must be provided for before the householder eats, and failure to do so is condemned.