Shanti Parva Adhyaya 336 Shloka 20 - Mahabharata | Portuguese | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 20

एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline

Devanagari script

पितृशेषेण विप्रांश्न संविभज्यश्रितांश्व॒ सः । शेषान्नभुक्‌ सत्यपर: सर्वभूतेष्वहिंसक:

Transliteration

pitṛ-śeṣeṇa viprān saṁvibhajya āśritāṁś ca saḥ | śeṣānna-bhuk satya-paraḥ sarva-bhūteṣv ahiṁsakaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma disse: Tendo primeiro repartido entre os brâmanes e os que dele dependiam o que restara após as oferendas aos ancestrais, ele comia apenas o alimento que então sobrava. Era dedicado à verdade e praticava a não‑violência para com todos os seres—exemplo de disciplina doméstica em que o próprio consumo vem por último, depois de honrar deuses, antepassados e hóspedes.

Word by Word

पितृशेषेणby/with the remainder (left) for the Pitṛs

विप्रान्Brahmins

संविभज्यhaving distributed / after apportioning

आश्रितान्dependents; those who have taken refuge

चand

सःhe

शेषान्नभुक्one who eats only the remaining food

सत्यपरःdevoted to truth

सर्वभूतेषुtowards/in regard to all beings

अहिंसकःnon-violent; not harming

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Pitṛs (ancestors)

Brahmins (vipras)

Dependents/guests (āśritas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should prioritize dharmic distribution—honoring ancestors and supporting Brahmins and dependents—before personal consumption, while remaining steadfast in truth and non-violence toward all beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes the conduct of a righteous person who, after completing ritual obligations, distributes the remaining food to Brahmins and dependents and only then eats what is left, embodying satya (truth) and ahiṁsā (non-harm).