Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
कश्यप उवाच नैतस्थेह यथास्माकं चत्वारश्न सहोदरा: । देहि देहीति भिक्षन्ति तेन पीवाउछुना सह
kaśyapa uvāca | naitastheha yathāsmākaṃ catvāraś ca sahodarāḥ | dehi dehīti bhikṣanti tena pīvau chunā saha |
ಕಶ್ಯಪರು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಇವನು ನಮ್ಮಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. ನಮ್ಮ ನಾಲ್ವರು ಸಹೋದರರು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ‘ಕೊಡು, ಕೊಡು’ ಎಂದು ಭಿಕ್ಷೆ ಬೇಡುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಆಹಾರ-ವಸ್ತ್ರದ ಭಾರವನ್ನು ನಾವು ಹೊರುವಂತಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಂನ್ಯಾಸಿಗೆ ಅಂಥ ಚಿಂತೆ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಆ ನಾಯಿಯ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಇವನು ಪೋಷಿತನಾಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ.
कश्यप उवाच
Kashyapa contrasts the householder’s obligations—supporting dependents who constantly ask for provisions—with the renunciant’s freedom from such anxieties. The point is that contentment and ‘well-being’ can arise from reduced attachment and responsibility, not from abundance.
Kashyapa explains why a renunciant appears comparatively well-nourished: unlike Kashyapa’s situation, where four brothers depend on him for daily sustenance, the ascetic has no large household to maintain and thus can live simply—sharing coarse food even with a dog—without the stress of provisioning many.