Shloka 21
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
जो ब्राह्मण शूद्रोंके साथ एक पंक्तिमें भोजन कर लेता है, वह अशुद्ध हो जाता है। अतः उनकी शुद्धिके लिये शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार यहाँ शौचका विधान है ।।
yastu vaiśyaiḥ sahāśrīyād brāhmaṇo ’py ekabhojane | sa vai trirātraṃ dīkṣitvā mucyate tena karmaṇā ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: Jika bahkan seorang brāhmaṇa makan bersama dalam satu barisan dengan para vaiśya, dia menanggung cemar ritual. Dengan menjalani suatu observans yang disucikan selama tiga malam, dia dilepaskan daripada kesalahan yang timbul daripada perbuatan itu. Ajaran ini menegaskan keprihatinan śāstra terhadap batas-batas tingkah laku yang ditetapkan serta adanya disiplin penebusan untuk memulihkan kesucian dan tertib sosial-keagamaan.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain forms of commensality are treated as a breach of prescribed ritual-social boundaries, but the tradition also provides a defined expiation: a three-night consecrated observance (trirātra-dīkṣā) to remove the fault and restore purity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma lays down a specific rule about eating together (ekabhojana) and states the corresponding prāyaścitta: a brāhmaṇa who has eaten in the same line with vaiśyas should observe a three-night vow to be freed from the resulting impurity.