Shloka 33
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
पायसं कृसरं मांसमपूपाश्न वृथाकृता:
pāyasaṁ kṛsaraṁ māṁsam apūpāśna vṛthākṛtāḥ
Vyāsa said: “Those who act in vain—without true purpose or right conduct—eat rich foods such as sweet rice (pāyasa), mixed rice dishes (kṛsara), meat, and cakes (apūpa).”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes purposeless or unrighteous living (vṛthā-kṛta) by associating it with indulgence in rich foods, implying that ethical life requires meaningful action and restraint rather than mere consumption and pleasure.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Vyāsa is speaking in a moral-exhortative tone, using a list of luxurious foods (pāyasa, kṛsara, meat, cakes) to characterize people whose actions are ‘in vain,’ as part of broader instruction on conduct and values.