Shloka 12
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
अमृतं ब्राह्मणोच्छिष्टं जनन्या हृदयं कृतम् । तज्जना: पर्युपासन्ते सत्यं सन्त: समासते
amṛtaṃ brāhmaṇocchiṣṭaṃ jananyā hṛdayaṃ kṛtam | taj janāḥ paryupāsante satyaṃ santaḥ samāsate ||
Bhishma dit : «La nourriture qui reste après qu’un brahmane a mangé est comme du nectar. Elle devient aussi salutaire que le cœur d’une mère. Ceux qui en prennent part avec respect atteignent le Réel ; vertueux, ils viennent demeurer dans la Vérité elle-même.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverence toward the virtuous—symbolized by honoring and partaking of a Brahmin’s ucchiṣṭa—is presented as a dharmic act that purifies and leads one toward Satya (the Real/Truth).
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he praises a specific dharmic practice: treating the remnants of a Brahmin’s meal as sacred and beneficial, likening it to a mother’s nurturing care, and stating its spiritual fruit as abiding in Truth.