Shloka 15
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
देवेभ्यश्न पितृभ्यश्न संश्रितेभ्यस्तथैव च | अवशिष्टनि यो भुंक्ते तमाहुर्विघसाशिनम्
devebhyaś ca pitṛbhyaś ca saṁśritebhyaś tathaiva ca | avaśiṣṭaṁ yo bhuṅkte tam āhur vighasāśinam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Sesiapa yang terlebih dahulu mempersembahkan makanan kepada para dewa dan kepada para leluhur, dan juga kepada mereka yang bergantung kepadanya, lalu memakan baki yang tinggal—orang itu disebut vighasāśin, yakni yang hidup daripada sisa setelah pembahagian yang wajar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not consume food as a private entitlement. Dharma requires first honoring higher obligations—offerings to devas and pitṛs—and social obligations—feeding dependents/those under one’s protection—before eating what remains. Such disciplined, sharing-based consumption is praised as vighasāśin.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he defines a virtuous mode of household living: the proper order of giving and eating. The verse characterizes the person who eats only after offerings and distribution as ‘vighasāśin’.