Shloka 25
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
आश्रमस्थानि भूतानि यस्तु वेश्मनि भारत । आददीतेह भोज्येन तद् गार्हस्थ्यं युधिष्ठिर
āśramasthāni bhūtāni yastu veśmani bhārata | ādadīteha bhojyena tad gārhasthyaṁ yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Bhārata, quiconque accueille sous son toit des êtres appartenant aux divers āśramas et les honore ici par la nourriture et l’hospitalité, cela, ô Yudhiṣṭhira, est véritablement la pratique du dharma du maître de maison (gārhasthya).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The essence of gārhasthya-dharma is active hospitality: a householder fulfills dharma by welcoming and feeding those who live by the disciplines of the āśramas (students, forest-dwellers, renunciants, and householders), treating them with respectful care.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and defines the practical mark of a righteous householder: receiving people into one’s home and honoring them with food and hospitality.