Shloka 6
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
ऋषय ऊचु अहो बतायं शकुनिर्विघसाशान् प्रशंसति । अस्मान् नूनमयं शास्ति वयं च विघसाशिन:
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ—aho batāyaṃ śakunir vighasāśān praśaṃsati | asmān nūnam ayaṃ śāsti vayaṃ ca vighasāśinaḥ ||
诸仙人说道：“啊，果然——这只鸟在称赞那些以‘毗伽沙’为食的人，也就是祭祀之后所余的食物。它必是在褒扬我们，因为在此地，我们自己正是食毗伽沙者。”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical ideal connected with restraint and ritual purity: living on vighasa—food remaining after offerings—symbolizes disciplined, non-indulgent sustenance and respect for sacrificial order, which the sages recognize as a mark of dharmic conduct.
A bird speaks in a way that praises ‘vighasa-eaters.’ Hearing this, the sages interpret the praise as directed toward themselves, since they are presently living on sacrificial remnants, and they remark on the bird’s commendation.