Shloka 5
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
तेषामन्ये पंक्तिदूषास्तथान्ये पंक्तिपावना: । अपाक्तेयास्तु ये राजन् कीर्तयिष्यामि तान् शृणु
teṣām anye paṅktidūṣās tathānye paṅktipāvanāḥ | apākteyās tu ye rājan kīrtayiṣyāmi tān śṛṇu ||
Bhishma said: “Among those Brahmins, some are defilers of the dining line, while others purify it. O King, listen as I now describe those who are unfit to be included in the communal row (for ritual dining).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames ethical and ritual eligibility in terms of one’s impact on communal sanctity: some people contaminate a sacred social-ritual setting (the Brahmin dining row), while others elevate it; therefore, discernment and standards of conduct matter in religious community life.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma begins a classification: he notes that among Brahmins there are those who defile or purify the communal dining line, and he announces that he will now list those deemed ‘apākteya’—unfit to be included in such ritual dining.