Shloka 72
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
श्षशुर उवाच वातातपविशीर्णाज्ीं त्वां विवर्णा निरीक्ष्य वै । कर्षितों सुव्रताचारे क्षुधाविद्वलचेतसम्
śvaśura uvāca vāta-ātapa-viśīrṇāṅgīṁ tvāṁ vivarṇāṁ nirīkṣya vai | karśitāṁ suvratācāre kṣudhā-vidvala-cetasam ||
岳父说道：“见你四肢为风日所摧，枯槁憔悴；面色黯淡；虽守善誓、行止端正，却已消瘦不堪；又因饥苦而心神不宁——在此情状下，我怎忍取你那份炒大麦粉（sattu）？若我如此，便成了损害法（dharma）之人。故而，吉祥而行善者啊，你不当说这般话。”
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely ritual correctness but ethical sensitivity: one should not accept comfort or food at the cost of another’s suffering, especially when the other is weak and hungry. Compassion and fairness within the household are presented as integral to dharma.
A father-in-law addresses his daughter-in-law after noticing her body has been worn down by exposure and hunger. He refuses to take even her portion of simple food (sattū), saying that doing so would be a violation of dharma, and urges her not to propose such self-denying speech.