Shloka 1
अध्याय २२० — बलिवासवसंवादः
Bali–Vāsava Dialogue on Kāla and Steadfastness
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत गोक्षधर्मपर्वमें पंचशिखका उपदेशनामक दो सौ उन्नीसवाँ अध्याय प्रा हुआ ॥/ २१९ ॥। (दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके १५ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ६७ श्लोक हैं) अपना छा | अड-४#-कात जा - “ये दोनों ज्ञान अथवा अज्ञानके विषय नहीं होते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dvijātayo vratopetā yad idaṃ bhuñjate haviḥ | annaṃ brāhma-kāmāya katham etat pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Thưa Tổ phụ, vì sao những bậc nhị sinh (dvija), chuyên trì giới nguyện, lại dùng phần lễ vật tế tự (havis) làm thức ăn? Nếu mục đích là Brahman—nếu tìm cầu thiện ích tối thượng của linh đạo—thì việc ăn uống ấy phải được hiểu như thế nào?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse opens an inquiry into how ritual practice (yajña and its consecrated remainder, havis) supports the spiritual aim of Brahman-realization. It frames food not merely as consumption but as ethically and ritually transformed sustenance—often leading into the doctrine that eating ‘yajña-śeṣa’ (the sanctified remainder) purifies and supports self-control and liberation-oriented life.
In Śānti Parva’s Mokṣadharma section, Yudhiṣṭhira continues questioning Bhīṣma. Here he asks how vow-observant dvijas eat the sacrificial oblation as food and how this aligns with the aspiration for Brahman. The question sets up Bhīṣma’s ensuing explanation about vrata, tapas, restraint, hospitality, and the merit of eating sanctified food.