Shloka 396
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
न च स्यात् पतितो राजन् पंक्तिपावन एव सः | राजन! यदि कोई वेदज्ञ ब्राह्मण सब प्रकारके पंक्तिदोषोंसे रहित है और पतित नहीं हुआ है तो वह पंक्तिपावन ही है
na ca syāt patito rājan paṅktipāvana eva saḥ |
Bhīṣma dijo: “Oh rey, no debe ser tenido por caído; en verdad, él es un purificador de la fila. Si un brāhmaṇa conocedor del Veda está libre de toda clase de defecto que mancilla la comida en común y no se ha vuelto ‘patita’ (moralmente caído), entonces debe ser tratado como quien santifica a la compañía.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A learned brāhmaṇa who is not ‘patita’ and is free from faults that contaminate communal dining is considered ‘paṅktipāvana’—someone whose presence sanctifies the group—highlighting that moral and ritual integrity determine social-ritual eligibility.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-religious norms; here he clarifies who counts as a purifier of the dining line and should not be labeled fallen.