Shloka 7
तापती–संवरणोपाख्यानम्
The Tapatī–Saṃvaraṇa Episode: Meaning of “Tāpatya”
एकैकश्चापि पुरुषस्तत् प्रयच्छति भोजनम् । स वारो बहुभिरवर्षैर्भवत्यसुकरो नरैः,प्रत्येक गृहस्थ अपनी बारी आनेपर उसे भोजन देता है। यद्यपि यह बारी बहुत वर्षोंके बाद आती है, तथापि लोगोंके लिये उसकी पूर्ति बहुत कठिन होती है
ekaikaś cāpi puruṣas tat prayacchati bhojanam | sa vāro bahubhir varṣair bhavaty asukaro naraiḥ ||
Cada chefe de família, um após outro, lhe oferece alimento quando chega a sua vez. Mas essa vez só vem depois de muitos anos, e mesmo então cumpri-la se mostra difícil para as pessoas—mostrando quão árduo é para homens comuns sustentar, por longo tempo, um dever de caridade e hospitalidade.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained charity and hospitality are dharmic ideals, but they require long-term reliability; even when a duty is shared among many, fulfilling it consistently can be challenging for ordinary people.
A brāhmaṇa explains a system where each householder feeds him in rotation; because the community is large, one’s turn comes only after many years, and people still find it hard to carry out the obligation when the time arrives.