Shloka 303
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
परिवित्तीनां पुंसां च बन्दिद्यूतविदां तथा | “जिन्हें किसी समाज या गाँवने दोषी ठहराया हो
parivittīnām puṁsāṁ ca bandidyūtavidāṁ tathā |
Vyāsa said: Even the food of certain men is not fit to be accepted—those branded blameworthy by their community or village, those who live by association with a dancing-girl, those who remain unmarried despite the younger brother’s marriage (thus violating proper order), those who make their living as bards/panegyrists, and those who are gamblers. The ethical point is to guard purity in receiving food and gifts, since accepting food implies participation in the giver’s way of life.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should be discerning about whose food or gifts one accepts, because acceptance implies moral association; food from persons seen as socially/ethically blameworthy is treated as unfit for a dharma-minded recipient.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma instruction, Vyāsa lists categories of people whose food should not be accepted, emphasizing norms of social purity and ethical livelihood as part of righteous conduct.