Shloka 22
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
तस्मिंश्न भक्षयत्येव शंखो5प्याश्रममागत:,वे खा ही रहे थे कि शंख भी आश्रमपर लौट आये। भाईको फल खाते देख शंखने उनसे पूछा--“तुमने ये फल कहाँसे प्राप्त किये हैं और किसलिये तुम इन्हें खा रहे हो?”
tasmiṁś ca bhakṣayaty eva śaṅkho 'py āśramam āgataḥ |
At that very time, as he was eating, Śaṅkha too returned to the hermitage. Seeing his brother eating the fruits, Śaṅkha questioned him: “From where have you obtained these fruits, and for what reason are you eating them?”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical vigilance about sustenance: one should examine the origin of what one consumes and whether it is obtained and used in a dharmic (right and permissible) manner, especially in an āśrama setting where restraint and purity of conduct are emphasized.
Śaṅkha returns to the hermitage and finds his brother eating fruits. He immediately questions the source of the fruits and the reason for eating them, initiating a moral examination of acquisition and consumption.