Shloka 1
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
०४८ श्यु 8 त्रिनववतितमो<्थ्याय: गृहस्थके धर्मोका रहस्य
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dvijātayo vratopetā havis te yadi bhuñjate | annaṃ brāhma-kāmāya katham etat pitāmaha ||
युधिष्ठिर उवाच— पितामह! यदि द्विजातयः व्रतोपेताः सन्तो ब्राह्मणस्य प्रार्थनां पूरयितुं हविष्यमन्नं भुञ्जते, तदेतत् कथं निर्णेयम्? अत्र किं श्रेयः— व्रतस्याविच्छेदः, उत ब्राह्मणकामनायाः सत्कारार्थं तदनुवर्तनम्?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic dharma-dilemma: when two duties appear to conflict—fidelity to one’s vow (vrata) versus honoring a Brahmin’s request and the social-ritual obligations tied to it—one must discern which action best upholds dharma in context, intention, and consequence.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to clarify whether vow-observing twice-born men may eat sacrificial/ritual food to satisfy a Brahmin’s wish, and how such an act should be evaluated ethically.