Shloka 15
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
स्वदेशे परदेशे वा अतिथिं नोपवासयेत् । काम्यकर्मफलं लब्ध्वा गुरूणामुपपादयेत्
Bhīṣma uvāca: svadeśe paradeśe vā atithiṃ nopavāsayet | kāmyakarmaphalaṃ labdhvā gurūṇām upapādayet ||
Bhishma said: Whether in one’s own land or in a foreign land, one should not let a guest who has come to one’s home remain unfed. And whatever gains arise as the fruit of one’s desired, duty-bound actions should be respectfully offered to one’s elders and teachers.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Two duties are emphasized: (1) atithi-dharma—never let a guest go unfed, regardless of place; and (2) guru-sevā—dedicate the gains from one’s result-seeking actions to one’s elders/teachers as an act of reverence and right conduct.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on household ethics, highlighting hospitality to guests and respectful offering to gurus as practical expressions of dharma.