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 ||
Bhīṣma dit : Si l’aîné, sans amoindrir ni entamer l’héritage paternel, part en pays lointain et acquiert des richesses par le seul labeur de ses propres jambes—par son effort et son travail—, ces richesses sont le fruit de sa peine personnelle. Aussi, s’il ne souhaite pas les donner, il n’est pas tenu de partager avec ses frères ce qu’il a gagné lui-même.
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.