Shloka 21
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
भृत्यातिथिजनश्चवापि गृहे पर्यशितो मया । मात्सर्यात् स्वादुकामेन नृशंसेन बुभुक्षता
bhṛtyātithijanaś cāpi gṛhe paryaśito mayā | mātsaryāt svādukāmena nṛśaṃsena bubhukṣatā ||
私は家で腹いっぱい食べた。召使いも客人も、頼っている者たちもそこにいたのに。妬みに駆られ、ただ味の快楽のみを求め、残忍さと飢えによって心を硬くし、家に来た者や私を頼る者に先に食を与えることなく、私は食べてしまった。
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns selfish consumption and emphasizes atithi-dharma: one should feed guests, dependents, and those under one’s care before satisfying one’s own appetite. Envy and mere taste-craving are shown as ethical failings that lead to cruelty.
Kīṭa speaks in confession, admitting past wrongdoing: he would eat at home without offering food to guests and dependents, motivated by jealousy and the desire for tasty food, revealing moral decline and remorse.