Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 97
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
प्रजानाथ! बुद्धिमान् पुरुष पहले अतिथिको अन्न और जल देकर पीछे स्वयं एकाग्रचित्त हो भोजन करे ।।
Prajānātha! buddhimān puruṣaḥ pūrvam atithaye annaṁ jalaṁ ca dattvā paścāt svayam ekāgracitto bhojanaṁ kuryāt. Samānam ekapaṅktyāṁ tu bhojyam annaṁ nareśvara; viṣaṁ hālāhalaṁ bhuṅkte yo ’pradāya suhṛjjane.
毗湿摩说：“噢，人民之主啊！智者当先以食与水奉客，然后才可自食，且须心神专一。又，噢大王，当众人同坐一行用餐时，食物应平均分与众人。若不分与怀善意的同伴而独自进食者，实乃吞食致命的哈拉哈拉（Hālāhala）毒。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hospitality and fairness in sharing are essential duties: feed the guest first, then eat with a focused mind; and when dining together, serve equally—eating alone without giving to companions is condemned as morally poisonous.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses the king and lays down conduct for meals—prioritizing the guest, maintaining mental discipline while eating, and enforcing equal distribution among those seated together—using the vivid image of Hālāhala poison to censure selfish consumption.