Shloka 11
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
अनुपष्नन् पितुर्दायं जड्घाश्रमफलोडध्वग: । स्वयमीहितलब्धं तु नाकामो दातुमहति
anupṛśnan pitur dāyaṃ jaṅghāśramaphalodvahaḥ | svayam īhitalabdhaṃ tu nākāmo dātum arhati ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Si el hermano mayor, sin menoscabar ni usurpar la herencia paterna, va a tierras extrañas y adquiere riqueza sólo con el esfuerzo de sus propias piernas—con su trabajo y su empeño—, esa riqueza es fruto de su esfuerzo personal. Por ello, si no desea darla, no está obligado a compartir con sus hermanos lo que él mismo ganó.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes ancestral inheritance from wealth earned by one’s own effort. If an elder brother earns money independently without harming the paternal estate, he is not dharmically compelled to share that self-acquired wealth with his brothers unless he chooses to.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (especially duties and norms concerning family and property), he addresses a practical case: an elder brother travels and earns through personal labor. Bhishma clarifies the ethical-legal status of such earnings as personal property rather than divisible patrimony.