Shloka 55
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
द्विज सक्तूनिमान् भूय: प्रतिगृह्लीष्व सत्तम । पत्नीके ऐसा कहनेपर ब्राह्मणने सत्तू लेकर अतिथिसे कहा--'साधुपुरुषोंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण! आप यह सत्तू भी पुनः ग्रहण कीजिये” ।। ५४ ई ।। स तान् प्रगृह भुक्त्वा च न तुष्टिमगमद् द्विज: । तमुञ्छवृत्तिरालक्ष्य ततश्चिन्तापरो5भवत्,अतिथि ब्राह्मण उस सत्तूको भी लेकर खा गया; किंतु संतुष्ट नहीं हुआ। यह देखकर उज्छवृत्तिवाले ब्राह्मणको बड़ी चिन्ता हुई
sa tān pragṛhya bhuktvā ca na tuṣṭim agamad dvijaḥ | tam uñchavṛttir ālakṣya tataś cintāparo 'bhavat ||
The brahmin took those provisions, ate them, and yet did not become satisfied. Seeing this, the householder who lived by gleaning (uñcha-vṛtti) was overcome with anxiety—his duty of hospitality had been performed to the limit of his means, yet the guest’s hunger remained, testing the ethical ideal of atithi-sevā (service to a guest).
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is tested not by abundance but by constraint: the host’s anxiety arises from the ethical demand to honor a guest’s need even when one’s resources are minimal, highlighting the ideal of atithi-sevā and compassionate responsibility.
A brahmin guest consumes the offered food yet remains unsatisfied; the poor gleaner-householder notices this and becomes deeply worried, indicating an escalating moral dilemma about how to fulfill hospitality when nothing more seems available.