Shloka 22
विधूमे न््यस्तमुसले व्यज्ारे भुक्तवज्जने । अतीतपात्रसंचारे काले विगतभिक्षुके,जब घरोंमेंसे धुआँ निकलना बंद हो गया हो, मूसल रख दिया गया हो, चूल्हेकी आग बुझ गयी हो, घरके सब लोग खा-पी चुके हों, परोसी हुई थालीको इधर-उधर ले जानेका काम समाप्त हो गया हो और भिखमंगे भिक्षा लेकर लौट गये हों, ऐसे समयमें मैं एक ही वक्त भिक्षाके लिये दो, तीन या पाँच घरोंतक जाया करूँगा। सब ओरसे स्नेहका बन्धन तोड़कर इस पृथ्वीपर विचरता रहूँगा
vidhūme nyastamusale vyajāre bhuktavajjane | atītapātrasañcāre kāle vigatabhikṣuke ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “When no smoke rises from the houses, when the pestle has been set aside, when the hearth-fire has died down, when the household has finished eating, when the carrying about of the served dishes is over, and when the beggars have departed after receiving alms—at such a time I shall go for alms only once, to two, three, or at most five houses. Having cut off bonds of attachment on every side, I shall wander upon this earth.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined renunciation: an ascetic should seek alms only after households have completed their own meal and work, minimizing disturbance and cultivating non-attachment by cutting bonds of affection and wandering without dependence.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes the practical rule he will follow as a mendicant: he will go for alms at a late, unobtrusive time—after cooking and eating are finished—and will limit himself to a small number of houses, signaling a resolve to live simply and detach from worldly ties.