Shloka 32
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
तस्य क्षयमुपागम्य ततो भिक्षामयाचत । प्रतिश्रयं च वासार्थ भिक्षां चैवाथ वार्षिकीम्
tasya kṣayam upāgamya tato bhikṣām ayācata | pratiśrayaṃ ca vāsārthaṃ bhikṣāṃ caivātha vārṣikīm ||
Quando suas provisões se esgotaram, ele saiu a pedir esmolas. Pediu também um abrigo onde morar e uma doação de mantimentos suficiente para sua manutenção por um ano inteiro.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic dependence and humility in hardship: when resources end, one seeks support through rightful means (begging and requesting shelter), and it also frames charity and hospitality as ethical responses that sustain social and spiritual order.
A person whose provisions have run out approaches others to request alms, along with lodging and enough support to live for a year, setting up an episode about how aid is given and what it reveals about virtue and conduct.