Shloka 23
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
भक्षयन्तं तु तं दृष्टवा शंखो भ्रातरमब्रवीत् । कुत: फलान्यवाप्तानि हेतुना केन खादसि
bhakṣayantaṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā śaṅkho bhrātaram abravīt | kutaḥ phalāny avāptāni hetunā kena khādasi ||
ਭਰਾ ਨੂੰ ਫਲ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਸ਼ੰਖ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ— “ਇਹ ਫਲ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਮਿਲੇ ਹਨ, ਅਤੇ ਤੂੰ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਸ ਹੇਤੂ ਨਾਲ ਖਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈਂ?”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic scrutiny of both means and motive: one should ask whether food (or any gain) is obtained through rightful means and consumed for a proper purpose, not through questionable acquisition or careless indulgence.
Śaṅkha returns and finds his brother eating fruits. He immediately questions the source of the fruits and the reason for eating them, setting up a moral inquiry into provenance and intention.