Shloka 21
अध्याय ५६ — च्यवन–कुशिकसंवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Lineage, Conflict, and Transmission
अथ सर्वमुपन्यस्तमग्रतश्ल्यवनस्य तत् । ततः सर्व समानीय तच्च शय्यासनं मुनि:
atha sarvam upanyastam agrataś cyavanasya tat | tataḥ sarvaṃ samānīya tac ca śayyāsanaṃ muniḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Alors tout ce qui avait été disposé fut placé devant le sage Cyavana. Celui-ci rassembla le tout, et couvrit aussi la couche et le siège de belles étoffes. Puis Cyavana, la joie des Bhṛgu, mit le feu aux offrandes de nourriture—et même à ces étoffes—marquant le refus de l’indulgence et éprouvant la sincérité cachée derrière l’hospitalité.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The episode highlights restraint and discernment in dharma: even lavish hospitality can be refused when it risks feeding attachment or when a sage chooses to test the purity of an offering. Ethical worth lies in intention and self-mastery, not merely in external abundance.
Arrangements and offerings are placed before the sage Cyavana. He gathers them, covers the bed and seat with cloth, and then burns the food and cloths—an austere, demonstrative act indicating renunciation and a deliberate response to what has been presented.