Shloka 13
Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)
गृहमावसतो हास्य नान्यत् तीर्थ प्रतिग्रहात् । देवर्षिपितृगुर्वर्थ वृद्धातुरबुभुक्षताम्
gṛham āvasato hāsya nānyat tīrthaṃ pratigrahāt | devarṣi-pitṛ-gurv-arthaṃ vṛddhāturabubhukṣatām ||
Vyāsa dijo: «Para un brahmán que vive la vida de cabeza de familia, no hay otro medio sagrado de sostener sus recursos que aceptar dones. Tal aceptación debe hacerse para servir a los dioses, a los rishis, a los antepasados y a los maestros, y para amparar a los ancianos, a los enfermos y a los hambrientos. Fuera de recibir dones para estos deberes, no existe otro camino puro para que un brahmán acumule bienes».
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder Brahmin may accept gifts (pratigraha) as a legitimate and ‘pure’ means of support, but the ethical purpose is service: sustaining worship and obligations to gods, sages, ancestors, and teachers, and providing food and care to the elderly, sick, and hungry.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma instruction, Vyāsa states a rule of conduct about livelihood: for a Brahmin living as a householder, accepting donations is presented as the sanctioned route for maintaining resources, specifically oriented toward religious duties and compassionate support of vulnerable people.