Shloka 11
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
अनुपष्नन् पितुर्दायं जड्घाश्रमफलोडध्वग: । स्वयमीहितलब्धं तु नाकामो दातुमहति
anupṛśnan pitur dāyaṃ jaṅghāśramaphalodvahaḥ | svayam īhitalabdhaṃ tu nākāmo dātum arhati ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Se o irmão mais velho, sem diminuir nem usurpar a herança paterna, vai a terras distantes e adquire riqueza apenas pelo esforço das próprias pernas—por seu labor e empenho—, então essa riqueza é fruto de sua luta pessoal. Portanto, se não tiver vontade de dar, não está obrigado a partilhar com os irmãos essa riqueza ganha por si mesmo.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes ancestral inheritance from wealth earned by one’s own effort. If an elder brother earns money independently without harming the paternal estate, he is not dharmically compelled to share that self-acquired wealth with his brothers unless he chooses to.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (especially duties and norms concerning family and property), he addresses a practical case: an elder brother travels and earns through personal labor. Bhishma clarifies the ethical-legal status of such earnings as personal property rather than divisible patrimony.