Shloka 6
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
ऋषय ऊचु अहो बतायं शकुनिर्विघसाशान् प्रशंसति । अस्मान् नूनमयं शास्ति वयं च विघसाशिन:
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ—aho batāyaṃ śakunir vighasāśān praśaṃsati | asmān nūnam ayaṃ śāsti vayaṃ ca vighasāśinaḥ ||
The sages said: “Ah, indeed—this bird is praising those who live on vighasa, the food left over after a sacrifice. Surely it is commending us, for here we ourselves are vighasa-eaters.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical ideal connected with restraint and ritual purity: living on vighasa—food remaining after offerings—symbolizes disciplined, non-indulgent sustenance and respect for sacrificial order, which the sages recognize as a mark of dharmic conduct.
A bird speaks in a way that praises ‘vighasa-eaters.’ Hearing this, the sages interpret the praise as directed toward themselves, since they are presently living on sacrificial remnants, and they remark on the bird’s commendation.