Shloka 61
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
बालानां क्षुद् बलवती जानाम्येतदहं प्रभो । वृद्धो5हं धारयिष्यामि त्वं बली भव पुत्रक,सामर्थ्यशाली पुत्र! मैं इस बातको अच्छी तरह जानता हूँ कि बच्चोंकी भूख बड़ी प्रबल होती है। मैं तो बूढ़ा हूँ। भूखे रहकर भी प्राण धारण कर सकता हूँ। तुम यह सत्तू खाकर बलवान् होओ--अपने प्राणोंकी रक्षा करो
bālānāṁ kṣud balavatī jānāmy etad ahaṁ prabho | vṛddho ’haṁ dhārayiṣyāmi tvaṁ balī bhava putraka ||
The son said: “My lord, I know well that a child’s hunger is overpowering. I am old; I can endure fasting and still sustain my life. You, my child, eat this roasted barley-flour and become strong—protect your life.”
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights compassionate dharma: the elder willingly bears hardship so the younger may survive. It frames strength not as domination but as protecting life through self-restraint and care.
In a moment of scarcity, the speaker urges the child to eat the available food to regain strength, while the elder accepts fasting, claiming age grants endurance. The scene emphasizes parental/elderly sacrifice and the duty to preserve the vulnerable.