Shloka 21
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 199: Dharmavyādha on Svakarma, Vidhi, and the Limits of Ahiṃsā
ततः प्रासादयद् ब्राह्मणं भगवन् भुज्यतामिति । मुहूर्तादुद्वीक्ष्य शिबिमब्रवीत् ।। २१ || “तब राजाने ब्राह्मणको मनाते हुए कहा--'भगवन्! भोजन कर लीजिये।/' ब्राह्मणने दो घड़ीतक ऊपरकी ओर देखनेके पश्चात् शिबिसे कहा--
tataḥ prāsādayad brāhmaṇaṃ bhagavan bhujyatām iti | muhūrtād udvīkṣya śibim abravīt || 21 ||
Kemudian raja, hendak menenangkan hati brahmana itu, berkata: “Wahai tuan yang mulia, silakan menjamah makanan.” Setelah memandang ke atas seketika, brahmana itu pun berkata kepada Śibi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds atithi-dharma: a ruler’s obligation to honor and care for a guest—especially a brāhmaṇa—through respectful speech and offering food, even when the situation may conceal a moral test.
King Śibi respectfully urges the brāhmaṇa to eat. The brāhmaṇa pauses, looking upward for a moment, and then begins to speak to Śibi—signaling that a significant request or trial is about to be stated.