Shloka 296
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
चिकित्सकस्य यच्चान्नमभोज्यं रक्षिणस्तथा । “जिसने यज्ञकी दीक्षा ली हो उसका अन्न अग्निषोमीय होमविशेषके पहले अग्राह्म है। कंजूस
cikitsakasya yac cānnam abhojyaṃ rakṣiṇas tathā |
Vyāsa says that, in this teaching on dharma and purity of conduct, the food of certain persons is not fit to be eaten. In this context he includes the physician’s food and likewise the guard’s (watchman’s) food among those to be avoided, as part of a broader ethical instruction on livelihoods and associations considered spiritually compromising for one seeking disciplined, sacrificial, or righteous living.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that one pursuing dharma should be discerning about food sources, since food is linked to character, livelihood, and moral/ritual purity; thus some occupations are traditionally treated as rendering food ‘abhojya’ (to be avoided).
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Vyāsa is enumerating categories of food considered unsuitable, as part of a larger discourse on righteous living, discipline, and the ethical implications of association and livelihood.