Shloka 4
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
ब्राह्मणानां सतामेष ब्राह्मो धर्मो युधिष्ठिर । आवाह्गामावहेदेवं यो दद्यादनुकूलत:
brāhmaṇānāṃ satām eṣa brāhmo dharmo yudhiṣṭhira | āvāhāgāmāvah edeṃvaṃ yo dadyād anukūlataḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, tel est le dharma brahmanique des brāhmaṇas vertueux : lorsqu’on est invité et accueilli avec respect, on doit donner (en aumône) d’une manière agréable et soutenante—selon ce qui profite au bénéficiaire.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines a key aspect of brāhmaṇa-dharma: giving should be done properly—after respectful invitation and reception—and the gift should be offered in a way that is beneficial and pleasing to the recipient (anukūlataḥ), not merely as a formality.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he highlights norms of virtuous brāhmaṇas concerning hospitality and charitable giving, framing it as an ethical standard to be followed.