Shloka 61
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
बालानां क्षुद् बलवती जानाम्येतदहं प्रभो । वृद्धो5हं धारयिष्यामि त्वं बली भव पुत्रक
bālānāṁ kṣud balavatī jānāmy etad ahaṁ prabho | vṛddho ’haṁ dhārayiṣyāmi tvaṁ balī bhava putraka ||
पुत्र म्हणाला—प्रभो, मला ठाऊक आहे की मुलांची भूक फार प्रबळ असते. मी वृद्ध आहे; उपवास करूनही प्राण धारण करीन. तू हे सत्तू खाऊन बलवान हो—प्राणांचे रक्षण कर.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights compassionate dharma: the elder willingly bears hardship so the younger may survive. It frames strength not as domination but as protecting life through self-restraint and care.
In a moment of scarcity, the speaker urges the child to eat the available food to regain strength, while the elder accepts fasting, claiming age grants endurance. The scene emphasizes parental/elderly sacrifice and the duty to preserve the vulnerable.