Shloka 13
Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)
गृहमावसतो हास्य नान्यत् तीर्थ प्रतिग्रहात् । देवर्षिपितृगुर्वर्थ वृद्धातुरबुभुक्षताम्
gṛham āvasato hāsya nānyat tīrthaṃ pratigrahāt | devarṣi-pitṛ-gurv-arthaṃ vṛddhāturabubhukṣatām ||
व्यास म्हणाले—गृहस्थ ब्राह्मणासाठी प्रतिग्रह (दान स्वीकारणे) याखेरीज धननिर्वाहाचा दुसरा कोणताही पवित्र मार्ग नाही। तोही देव, ऋषी, पितर आणि गुरु यांची सेवा तसेच वृद्ध, रोगी व भुकेल्यांचे पालन यासाठीच स्वीकारावा; या कर्तव्यांखेरीज ब्राह्मणाला साधनसंचयाचा दुसरा शुद्ध उपाय नाही।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder Brahmin may accept gifts (pratigraha) as a legitimate and ‘pure’ means of support, but the ethical purpose is service: sustaining worship and obligations to gods, sages, ancestors, and teachers, and providing food and care to the elderly, sick, and hungry.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma instruction, Vyāsa states a rule of conduct about livelihood: for a Brahmin living as a householder, accepting donations is presented as the sanctioned route for maintaining resources, specifically oriented toward religious duties and compassionate support of vulnerable people.