Shloka 4
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
ब्राह्मणानां सतामेष ब्राह्मो धर्मो युधिष्ठिर । आवाह्गामावहेदेवं यो दद्यादनुकूलत:
brāhmaṇānāṃ satām eṣa brāhmo dharmo yudhiṣṭhira | āvāhāgāmāvah edeṃvaṃ yo dadyād anukūlataḥ ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ യുധിഷ്ഠിരാ! സദ്ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ ബ്രാഹ്മധർമ്മം ഇതാണ്: ആദരത്തോടെ ക്ഷണിച്ച് സത്കാരത്തോടെ സ്വീകരിച്ചവന്, അവനു അനുകൂലവും ഹിതകരവുമായ രീതിയിൽ ദാനം നൽകണം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines a key aspect of brāhmaṇa-dharma: giving should be done properly—after respectful invitation and reception—and the gift should be offered in a way that is beneficial and pleasing to the recipient (anukūlataḥ), not merely as a formality.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he highlights norms of virtuous brāhmaṇas concerning hospitality and charitable giving, framing it as an ethical standard to be followed.