Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 49
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
भीष्म उवाच येषां दारा: प्रतीक्षन्ते सुवृष्टिमिव कर्षका: । उच्छेषपरिशेषं हि तान् भोजय युधिष्ठिर
bhīṣma uvāca yeṣāṃ dārāḥ pratīkṣante suvṛṣṭim iva karṣakāḥ | ucchiṣṭa-pariśeṣaṃ hi tān bhojaya yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Yudhiṣṭhira, nourris ceux dont les épouses attendent les restes de leurs maris comme les laboureurs attendent une bonne pluie—ces foyers qui n’ont aucune réserve au-delà de ce qui est cuit pour le jour. À de tels brahmanes pauvres, donne assurément un repas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma urges Yudhishthira to prioritize feeding the truly needy—especially poor Brahmins whose households survive day-to-day without stored grain—making charity concrete, targeted, and compassionate rather than merely ceremonial.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he gives Yudhishthira a vivid social image: wives waiting for leftovers like farmers waiting for rain, to identify households living on the edge; Yudhishthira is told to ensure such people are fed.