Shloka 42
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
सतु विप्रगृहान्वेषी शूद्रान्नपरिवर्जक: । ग्रामे दस्युसमाकीर्णे व्यचरत् सर्वतोदिशम्,वह शूद्रका अन्न नहीं खाता था; इसलिये दस्युओंसे भरे हुए उस गाँवमें ब्राह्मणके घरकी तलाश करता हुआ सब ओर घूमने लगा
sa tu vipragṛhānveṣī śūdrānna-parivarjakaḥ | grāme dasyu-samākīrṇe vyacarat sarvato diśam ||
But he, refusing to partake of food obtained from Śūdras, went about in every direction through a village crowded with bandits, searching for the house of a Brāhmaṇa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast adherence to one’s vowed standard of conduct (ācāra) and perceived purity rules even under threat. It presents dharma as something practiced through disciplined choices—here, the deliberate avoidance of certain food sources and the effort to seek what one deems proper, despite hardship.
A person is moving through a village overrun by bandits, searching in all directions for a Brāhmaṇa’s house. The reason given is that he avoids eating food associated with Śūdras, so he seeks a Brāhmaṇa household as a suitable place for sustenance or hospitality.