Shloka 23

अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता

Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality

Devanagari script

अपांक्तो यावतः पांक्तान्‌ भुज्जानाननुपश्यति । तावत्फलाद भ्रंशयति दातारं तस्य बालिशम्‌

Transliteration

apāṅkto yāvataḥ pāṅktān bhuñjānān anupaśyati | tāvatphalād bhraṁśayati dātāraṁ tasya bāliśam ||

Translation

Бхишма сказал: Пока недостойный (apāṅkta) взирает на достойных брахманов, вкушающих пищу в надлежащем ряду (pāṅkta), он лишает глупого дарителя заслуги, соответствующей стольким получателям, скольких он увидел. Наставление таково: даритель должен оберегать святость трапезного ряда; допустить «осквернителя ряда» к вмешательству или даже к надзору взглядом над обрядом — значит подорвать нравственный и ритуальный плод дара.

Word by Word

• अपाङ्क्तः: one who is outside the (proper) row; a row-defiler
• अपाङ्क्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपाङ्क्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यावतः: as many as
• यावतः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पाङ्क्तान्: those fit to sit in the row (properly row-eligible)
• पाङ्क्तान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाङ्क्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भुञ्जानान्: eating, partaking (of food)
• भुञ्जानान्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अनुपश्यति: sees, observes
• अनुपश्यति: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + दृश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तावत्: so much; to that extent
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• फलात्: from (the) fruit/result (of the gift)
• फलात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• भ्रंशयति: causes to fall away; deprives
• भ्रंशयति: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रंश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative (णिच्)

• दातारम्: the giver/donor
• दातारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of him; his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• बालिशम्: foolish, simple-minded
• बालिशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बालिश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• donor (dātā)
• qualified Brāhmaṇas in the dining row (pāṅktāḥ)
• unqualified person / paṅkti-dūṣaka (apāṅktaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Charity and ritual feeding yield merit only when performed with discernment and proper boundaries; permitting an unqualified ‘line-defiler’ to intrude upon or oversee the feeding can nullify the donor’s merit in proportion to the number of rightful diners affected.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on the ethics of dāna and śrāddha-style feeding: he warns that if an apāṅkta person observes the properly seated Brāhmaṇas while they eat, the donor—through negligence—loses the corresponding merit of that act.