Shloka 156
Nakṣatra-yoga-anusāreṇa Dāna-vidhiḥ
Gifts prescribed according to lunar mansions and yogas
ब्राह्मणास्तात भुञ्जानास्त्रेताग्निं प्रीणयन्त्युत । तात! नियमपूर्वक ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करनेवाले ब्राह्मण यदि प्रातःकाल घरमें भोजन करते हैं तो तीनों अग्नियोंको तृप्त कर देते हैं
brāhmaṇās tāta bhuñjānās tretāgniṁ prīṇayanti uta |
Bhishma said: “Dear one, when Brahmins eat in the proper manner, they also satisfy the triad of sacred fires. For disciplined Brahmins—especially those observing brahmacarya with prescribed restraints—do not treat eating as mere enjoyment; when a meal is taken according to rule and purity, it becomes an act that sustains and pleases the sacred fires and, by extension, the Vedic order of dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food taken with restraint and according to prescribed discipline is not mere consumption; it becomes a dharmic act that supports the Vedic order—symbolized by ‘pleasing the three sacred fires.’
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, explains to his listener that properly regulated Brahmins, even while performing an ordinary act like eating, uphold ritual obligations and thereby ‘satisfy’ the triad of sacred fires.