Shloka 96
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
तोयपूर्व प्रदायान्नमतिथि भ्यो विशाम्पते । पश्चाद् भुञज्जीत मेधावी न चाप्यन्यमना नर:
toyapūrvaṃ pradāyānnam atithibhyo viśāmpate | paścād bhuñjīta medhāvī na cāpy anyamanā naraḥ ||
ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਜਾਪਤੀ! ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਮਹਿਮਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪਾਣੀ ਅਰਪਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਫਿਰ ਅੰਨ ਦੇਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਸ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਹੀ ਬੁੱਧਿਮਾਨ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਆਪ ਭੋਜਨ ਕਰੇ, ਅਤੇ ਭੋਜਨ ਵੇਲੇ ਮਨ ਭਟਕਿਆ ਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality is a primary duty: one should first honor guests by offering water and food, and only then eat oneself; moreover, eating should be done with attentive, undistracted mind as part of disciplined conduct (dharma).
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on righteous conduct (dharma), he addresses the king and lays down a rule of household ethics: prioritize the needs of guests through proper offerings, then partake of one’s meal with mental composure.