Shloka 57
ततो मूलफलप्रायं पायसं मधुसर्पिषा । आस्तीके भोजयेदू राजन् दद्याच्चैव गुडौदनम्,राजन! तत्पश्चात् आस्तीकपर्वकी कथाके समय ब्राह्मणोंको मधु और घीसे युक्त खीर भोजन कराये। उस भोजनमें फल-मूलकी अधिकता होनी चाहिये। फिर गुड़ और भात दान करे
tato mūlaphalaprāyaṃ pāyasaṃ madhusarpiṣā | āstīke bhojayedū rājan dadyāccaiva guḍaudanam ||
Then, O King, at the time of the Āstīka-related rite/recitation, one should feed the brāhmaṇas with rice-pudding enriched with honey and ghee, in which fruits and roots predominate; thereafter, one should also give as a gift sweetened rice (rice with jaggery). The passage underscores the ethic of honoring sacred occasions through pure, sattvic offerings and generous dāna to the learned.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dharmic conduct through respectful hospitality and charity: on sacred occasions one should offer pure, wholesome food to brāhmaṇas and follow it with dāna, emphasizing generosity, reverence, and ritual propriety.
Vaiśampāyana instructs the king about the proper observance connected with Āstīka: feeding brāhmaṇas with honey-and-ghee rice-pudding rich in fruits and roots, and then giving sweetened rice (jaggery-rice) as a charitable gift.