Shloka 21
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
भृत्यातिथिजनश्चवापि गृहे पर्यशितो मया । मात्सर्यात् स्वादुकामेन नृशंसेन बुभुक्षता
bhṛtyātithijanaś cāpi gṛhe paryaśito mayā | mātsaryāt svādukāmena nṛśaṃsena bubhukṣatā ||
Je mangeais à satiété dans ma maison, alors même que des serviteurs, des hôtes et des personnes à ma charge étaient là. Poussé par l’envie, ne recherchant que le plaisir du goût, endurci par la cruauté et la faim, je mangeais sans nourrir d’abord ceux qui étaient venus chez moi et ceux qui dépendaient de moi.
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns selfish consumption and emphasizes atithi-dharma: one should feed guests, dependents, and those under one’s care before satisfying one’s own appetite. Envy and mere taste-craving are shown as ethical failings that lead to cruelty.
Kīṭa speaks in confession, admitting past wrongdoing: he would eat at home without offering food to guests and dependents, motivated by jealousy and the desire for tasty food, revealing moral decline and remorse.