Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 156
Nakṣatra-yoga-anusāreṇa Dāna-vidhiḥ
Gifts prescribed according to lunar mansions and yogas
ब्राह्मणास्तात भुञ्जानास्त्रेताग्निं प्रीणयन्त्युत । तात! नियमपूर्वक ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करनेवाले ब्राह्मण यदि प्रातःकाल घरमें भोजन करते हैं तो तीनों अग्नियोंको तृप्त कर देते हैं
brāhmaṇās tāta bhuñjānās tretāgniṁ prīṇayanti uta |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Anak ko, kapag ang mga Brahman ay kumakain ayon sa wastong tuntunin, napalulugod din nila ang tatlong banal na apoy (tri-agni). Sapagkat ang mga Brahmang may disiplina—lalo na yaong tumutupad sa panatang brahmacarya sa mga itinakdang pagpipigil—ay hindi itinuturing ang pagkain na aliw lamang; kapag ang pagkain ay tinanggap ayon sa batas at kalinisan, nagiging isang gawang nagtataguyod at nagpapasaya sa mga banal na apoy, at sa gayon ay sa kaayusang Vedic ng dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food taken with restraint and according to prescribed discipline is not mere consumption; it becomes a dharmic act that supports the Vedic order—symbolized by ‘pleasing the three sacred fires.’
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, explains to his listener that properly regulated Brahmins, even while performing an ordinary act like eating, uphold ritual obligations and thereby ‘satisfy’ the triad of sacred fires.