Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 56
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
येषां नाग्रभुजो विप्रा देवतातिथिबालका: । राक्षसानेव तान् विद्धि निर्विशड्कानमड़्लान्
yeṣāṃ nāgrabhūjo viprā devatātithibālakāḥ | rākṣasān eva tān viddhi nirviśaṅkān amaṅgalān ||
Wika ni Śukra: Yaong mga kumakain nang hindi muna nagbibigay ng pagkain sa mga diyos, sa mga Brahmin, sa mga panauhin, at sa mga bata—kilalanin silang gaya ng mga rākṣasa: walang takot sa paggawa ng masama at tagapagdala ng kamalasan.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not begin eating without first providing for the gods (as offering), Brahmins, guests, and children. Neglecting these prior claims is portrayed as a grave ethical failure, likened to the conduct of rākṣasas—bold in wrongdoing and productive of inauspicious outcomes.
Śukra is delivering a moral instruction within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader discourse on right conduct. He uses a sharp comparison—calling such neglectful eaters 'like rākṣasas'—to stress that hospitality and giving are foundational markers of civilized, dharmic life.