Shloka 27
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ब्रह्मदेयानुसंतानश्छन्दोगो ज्येष्ठतामग: । मातापित्रोर्यश्व वश्य: श्रत्रियों दशपूरुष:
bhīṣma uvāca | brahmadeyānusantānaś chandogo jyeṣṭhatāmagaḥ | mātāpitror yaś ca vaśyaḥ śrotriyo daśapūruṣaḥ ||
Bhishma said: One who belongs to a lineage sustained by brahma-gifts (endowments for sacred learning), who is learned in the Chāndoga tradition, who chants the Jyeṣṭha Sāman, who remains obedient to mother and father, and who is a śrotriya for ten generations—such a person too is a purifier of the dining line, fit to sanctify the company by being included in it.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma defines qualifications that make a person ‘pankti-pāvana’—one whose presence sanctifies a communal meal or assembly—emphasizing Vedic learning and transmission, purity of lineage in study, disciplined conduct, and filial obedience as markers of dharmic worthiness.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he lists specific types of learned and well-conducted Brahmins—connected to brahma-endowments, the Chāndoga tradition, Sāman chanting, obedience to parents, and long-standing śrotriya lineage—who are considered fit to purify and dignify a dining line or gathering.