Shloka 24
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
चाण्डालात् पुल्कसं चापि खराश्चगजभोजिनम् | मृतचैलप्रतिच्छन्न॑ भिन्नभाजनभोजिनम्
cāṇḍālāt pulkasaṃ cāpi kharāś ca gajabhojinam | mṛtacailapraticchannaṃ bhinnabhājanabhojinam ||
ଭୀଷ୍ମ କହିଲେ—ଚାଣ୍ଡାଳରୁ ଜନ୍ମିତ ପୁଲ୍କସକୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ପତିତ ଓ ଅଶୁଚି ବୋଲି ଚିହ୍ନିବା ଉଚିତ; ସେ ଗଧା ଓ ହାତୀର ମାଂସ ଭୋଜନ କରେ, ମୃତଙ୍କ ବସ୍ତ୍ର ଓଢ଼େ ଏବଂ ଭଙ୍ଗା ପାତ୍ରରେ ଭୋଜନ କରେ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects a dharma-śāstra style concern with social and ritual purity, marking certain food habits and contact with death-associated items (dead garments, broken utensils) as signs of impurity and social exclusion.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social conduct. Here he lists a stigmatized type of person—defined by birth-category and practices such as eating taboo meats and using death-associated clothing/utensils—as an example within his broader discourse on purity rules.