Shloka 63
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
अभुकक्त्वातिथये चाजन्न॑ प्रयच्छेद् य: समाहित: । स वैब्रद्याविदां लोकान् प्राप्तुयाद् भरतर्षभ
abhuktvātithaye cājñān prayacched yaḥ samāhitaḥ | sa vai brahmavidāṁ lokān prāpnuyād bharatarṣabha ||
Bhishma dit : Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, l’homme qui, l’esprit rassemblé et concentré, donne de la nourriture à un hôte tout en demeurant lui-même affamé, ce donateur atteint les mondes des connaisseurs de Brahman. Le vers loue l’hospitalité qui s’oublie elle-même comme une haute forme de dharma, où l’on accepte volontairement son propre manque pour honorer le devoir sacré envers l’atithi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that true hospitality and charity are proven by sacrifice: giving food to a guest even when one is hungry oneself, done with a steady and sincere mind, leads to exalted spiritual merit—symbolized as reaching the realms of Brahman-knowers.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhisthira on dharma. Here he highlights atithi-sevā (service to guests) and dāna as a superior ethical practice, promising a lofty posthumous destination for one who prioritizes the guest over personal comfort.