Shloka 40
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
हीनादादेयमादौ स्यात् समानात् तदनन्तरम् । असम्भवे वा55ददीत विशिष्टादपि धार्मिकात्,“पहले हीन पुरुषके घरसे उसे भक्ष्य पदार्थकी चोरी करनी चाहिये। वहाँ काम न चले तो अपने समान व्यक्तिके घरसे खानेकी वस्तु लेनी चाहिये, यदि वहाँ भी अभीष्टसिद्धि न हो सके तो अपनेसे विशिष्ट धर्मात्मा पुरुषके यहाँसे वह खाद्य वस्तुका अपहरण कर ले
hīnād ādeyam ādau syāt samānāt tad-anantaram | asambhave vā dadyāt viśiṣṭād api dhārmikāt ||
Bhīṣma said: “At first, one should take (food) from a person of lesser means; next, from one of equal standing. If that is not possible, then one may even take it from a superior person—provided he is righteous.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma lays out a graded ethical rule for taking food in a situation of need: first from someone with less, then from an equal, and only if unavoidable even from a superior—framing the act within a hierarchy meant to minimize harm and preserve dharma under necessity.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising on proper conduct in difficult circumstances, giving a sequence of whom one may approach (or take from) when seeking food, emphasizing an order that reflects social and moral considerations.