Shloka 13
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
न्यायलब्धं प्रदातव्यं द्विजातिभ्योन्नमुत्तमम् स्वाध्यायं समुपेते भ्य: प्रह्ष्टेनान्तरात्मना
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | nyāyalabdhaṃ pradātavyaṃ dvijātibhyo 'nnam uttamam | svādhyāyaṃ samupetebhyaḥ prahṛṣṭenāntarātmanā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Il faut offrir, avec des biens acquis par des moyens justes, la nourriture la plus excellente en aumône aux « deux-fois-nés » (dvija), surtout à ceux qui se vouent au svādhyāya, l’étude sacrée. Qu’on donne d’un cœur intérieurement joyeux, de plein gré et avec respect. La charité devient véritablement conforme au dharma lorsque la source (un gain droit) et l’intention (un don heureux et révérencieux) sont pures, et lorsqu’elle soutient ceux qui s’attachent à l’étude et à la discipline spirituelle.
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity should be made from righteously acquired resources, offered as the best possible food, and given with sincere inner joy—particularly to those devoted to svādhyāya (sacred study).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and gifts, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a rule of proper giving: the donor must ensure just acquisition, worthy recipients (especially students of sacred learning), and a pure, glad intention.