Shloka 31
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
अवेदानामयज्ञानामलोकानामवर्तिनाम् | कस्तेषां जीवितेनार्थस्त्वां विना ब्राह्मणाश्रयम्
avedānāmayajñānāmalokānām avartinām | kas teṣāṁ jīvitena arthaḥ tvāṁ vinā brāhmaṇāśrayam ||
جو وید سے محروم، یَجْن سے محروم اور دھرم کے راستے پر قائم نہیں—اُن کی زندگی کا کیا مقصد؟ خصوصاً جب وہ تمہارے بغیر ہوں، اے برہمنوں کے سہارا۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life gains moral purpose through adherence to Vedic learning, sacrificial duty, and right conduct; without these—and without a righteous protector who serves as a refuge for brāhmaṇas—mere living is portrayed as empty of higher value.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, addresses a respected figure (implicitly a protector of brāhmaṇas) and underscores that those who abandon Veda, yajña, and proper conduct have little meaningful aim in life, especially if they are deprived of such righteous support.