Shloka 42
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
सतु विप्रगृहान्वेषी शूद्रान्नपरिवर्जक: । ग्रामे दस्युसमाकीर्णे व्यचरत् सर्वतोदिशम्,वह शूद्रका अन्न नहीं खाता था; इसलिये दस्युओंसे भरे हुए उस गाँवमें ब्राह्मणके घरकी तलाश करता हुआ सब ओर घूमने लगा
sa tu vipragṛhānveṣī śūdrānna-parivarjakaḥ | grāme dasyu-samākīrṇe vyacarat sarvato diśam ||
Mais lui, refusant de prendre une nourriture obtenue des Śūdra, alla de tous côtés dans ce village rempli de brigands, à la recherche de la demeure d’un brāhmaṇa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast adherence to one’s vowed standard of conduct (ācāra) and perceived purity rules even under threat. It presents dharma as something practiced through disciplined choices—here, the deliberate avoidance of certain food sources and the effort to seek what one deems proper, despite hardship.
A person is moving through a village overrun by bandits, searching in all directions for a Brāhmaṇa’s house. The reason given is that he avoids eating food associated with Śūdras, so he seeks a Brāhmaṇa household as a suitable place for sustenance or hospitality.