Shloka 20
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
पितृशेषेण विप्रांश्न संविभज्यश्रितांश्व॒ सः । शेषान्नभुक् सत्यपर: सर्वभूतेष्वहिंसक:
pitṛ-śeṣeṇa viprān saṁvibhajya āśritāṁś ca saḥ | śeṣānna-bhuk satya-paraḥ sarva-bhūteṣv ahiṁsakaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Having first apportioned to the Brahmins and to those who depended on him from what remained after the offerings to the ancestors, he would eat only the food that was left thereafter. He was devoted to truth and practiced non-violence toward all beings—an exemplar of disciplined household conduct in which one’s own consumption comes last, after honoring gods, ancestors, and guests.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should prioritize dharmic distribution—honoring ancestors and supporting Brahmins and dependents—before personal consumption, while remaining steadfast in truth and non-violence toward all beings.
Bhishma describes the conduct of a righteous person who, after completing ritual obligations, distributes the remaining food to Brahmins and dependents and only then eats what is left, embodying satya (truth) and ahiṁsā (non-harm).