Shloka 49
आढ्यानां मांसपरमं मध्यानां गोरसोत्तरम् तैलोत्तरं दरिद्राणां भोजनं भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ। धनोन्मत्त (तामस स्वभाववाले) पुरुषोंके भोजनमें मांसकी, मध्यम श्रेणीवालोंके भोजनमें गोरसकी तथा दरिद्रोंक भोजनमें तेलकी प्रधानता होती है
āḍhyānāṁ māṁsa-paramaṁ madhyānāṁ go-rasottaram tailottaraṁ daridrāṇāṁ bhojanaṁ bharatarṣabha bharataśreṣṭha
Vidura said: “O bull among the Bharatas, O best of the Bharatas: among the wealthy, food tends to be dominated by meat; among those of middling means, by the produce of the cow (milk and its preparations); and among the poor, by oil. Thus the fare of men reflects their station and the impulses that drive them.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura points out that a person’s diet often mirrors wealth and temperament: luxury leans toward heavier, indulgent foods; moderate means toward sustaining staples like dairy; poverty toward cheaper fats like oil. The ethical thrust is to recognize how desire and status shape habits, and to cultivate restraint rather than being driven by appetite and pride.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers counsel (nīti) to the Kuru king Dhṛtarāṣṭra as war approaches. This verse is part of his practical, moral instruction, using everyday examples—like food preferences—to illustrate human tendencies and the need for self-governance.