Shloka 6
Vyāsa’s Counsel to the Concealed Pāṇḍavas; Śaṃkara’s Boon and the Predestination of Draupadī
Chapter 157
अर्ध ते भुञज्जते वीरा: सह मात्रा परंतपा: | अर्ध सर्वस्य भैक्षस्य भीमो भुड्क्ते महाबल:,वे चारों वीर परंतप पाण्डव अपनी माताके साथ आधी भिक्षाका उपयोग करते थे और सम्पूर्ण भिक्षाका आधा भाग अकेले महाबली भीमसेन खाते थे
ardhaṃ te bhuñjate vīrāḥ saha mātrā parantapāḥ | ardhaṃ sarvasya bhaikṣyasya bhīmo bhuṅkte mahābalaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Those hero brothers, scorcher of foes, would partake of one half of the alms together with their mother; and of the entire day’s begging, mighty-armed Bhīma alone would eat the other half. The passage underscores the Pandavas’ disciplined sharing under hardship, and Bhīma’s exceptional bodily need being accommodated without breaking the ethic of collective care.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in scarcity, the Pandavas maintain an ethic of ordered sharing and care for their mother; individual needs (Bhīma’s great appetite due to strength) are accommodated within a framework of collective responsibility rather than selfishness.
While living in difficult circumstances and subsisting on begged food, the brothers divide the alms: the four brothers eat one half together with their mother, and Bhīma alone consumes the remaining half.