Shloka 18
अध्याय ५६ — च्यवन–कुशिकसंवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Lineage, Conflict, and Transmission
रसालापूपकांश्रित्रानू मोदकानथ खाण्डवान् | रसान् नानाप्रकारांश्व वन्यं च मुनिभोजनम्
bhīṣma uvāca | rasālāpūpakāṃś cāpi trīn modakān atha khāṇḍavān | rasān nānāprakārāṃś ca vanyaṃ ca munibhojanam ||
Bhishma said: “Out of fear of a curse, he had brought and set out many kinds of delicacies—sweet drinks and syrups, cakes and pastries, various modakas (sweet dumplings), sugar-candy preparations, and juices of many sorts; also forest foods fit for sages—wild roots and tubers and diverse fruits—together with numerous dishes ordinarily enjoyed by kings, and foods suitable for householders and forest-dwellers.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic hospitality: a ruler should provide appropriate, varied, and context-sensitive food—fit for sages as well as for royal guests—showing respect and restraint, especially when moral consequences (such as a curse) are at stake.
Bhishma describes how a king, fearing the repercussions of offending holy persons, urgently procures and presents an extensive spread of foods—sweets, drinks, and forest fare suitable for ascetics—along with items typically enjoyed in royal households.