Shloka 51
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
जिस देशमें सदा धर्मपरायण, यज्ञ कराने और पढ़ानेके कार्यमें संलग्न सनातनधर्मी श्रोत्रिय ब्राह्मण ही सबसे पहले भोजन पाते हों, उस राष्ट्रमें अवश्य निवास करे ।।
svāhāsvadhāvaṣaṭkārā yatra samyaganūṣṭhitāḥ | ajasraṁ caiva vartante vaset tatra avicārayan ||
Nārada berkata: Tinggallah di negeri di mana para Brāhmaṇa śrotriya—penganut Sanātana Dharma, teguh dalam dharma, sibuk memimpin yajña dan mengajar Weda—menerima bagian makanan yang pertama. Di tempat di mana seruan svāhā (persembahan ke api), svadhā (persembahan leluhur), dan panggilan vaṣaṭ dilaksanakan dengan benar, dan upacara-upacara itu berlangsung tanpa putus, di sanalah hendaknya seseorang menetap tanpa ragu.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Choose residence in a society where dharma is actively upheld through continuous, correctly performed Vedic and ancestral rites, and where learned, dharma-committed Brāhmaṇas are honored—symbolized by giving them the first share of food.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living and social well-being, Nārada describes the marks of a dharmic land/kingdom and advises that one should live where sacrificial and śrāddha duties are properly maintained and the custodians of Vedic learning are duly respected.