Shloka 55
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
द्विज सक्तूनिमान् भूय: प्रतिगृह्लीष्व सत्तम । पत्नीके ऐसा कहनेपर ब्राह्मणने सत्तू लेकर अतिथिसे कहा--'साधुपुरुषोंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण! आप यह सत्तू भी पुनः ग्रहण कीजिये” ।।
sa tān pragṛhya bhuktvā ca na tuṣṭim agamad dvijaḥ | tam uñchavṛttir ālakṣya tataś cintāparo 'bhavat ||
那婆罗门收下那些食物，吃了，却仍未满足。见此情形，那以拾穗度日的家主（uñcha-vṛtti）忧惧交加——他已在力所能及之处尽了待客之责，然而宾客的饥饿仍未消退，仿佛在考验“事客之道”（atithi-sevā）的伦理理想。
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is tested not by abundance but by constraint: the host’s anxiety arises from the ethical demand to honor a guest’s need even when one’s resources are minimal, highlighting the ideal of atithi-sevā and compassionate responsibility.
A brahmin guest consumes the offered food yet remains unsatisfied; the poor gleaner-householder notices this and becomes deeply worried, indicating an escalating moral dilemma about how to fulfill hospitality when nothing more seems available.