Shloka 21
अध्याय ५६ — च्यवन–कुशिकसंवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Lineage, Conflict, and Transmission
अथ सर्वमुपन्यस्तमग्रतश्ल्यवनस्य तत् । ततः सर्व समानीय तच्च शय्यासनं मुनि:
atha sarvam upanyastam agrataś cyavanasya tat | tataḥ sarvaṃ samānīya tac ca śayyāsanaṃ muniḥ ||
Bhishma said: Then all of that which had been set out was placed before the sage Cyavana. Thereupon the sage gathered everything together, and he also covered that bedding and seat with fine cloths. In the ensuing act of stern ascetic resolve, Cyavana, the delight of the Bhṛgus, set fire to the food-offerings—and even to those cloths—signaling a rejection of indulgence and a testing of the sincerity behind the hospitality.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The episode highlights restraint and discernment in dharma: even lavish hospitality can be refused when it risks feeding attachment or when a sage chooses to test the purity of an offering. Ethical worth lies in intention and self-mastery, not merely in external abundance.
Arrangements and offerings are placed before the sage Cyavana. He gathers them, covers the bed and seat with cloth, and then burns the food and cloths—an austere, demonstrative act indicating renunciation and a deliberate response to what has been presented.