Shloka 7
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
कि सुवर्ण कथं जात॑ कस्मिन् काले किमात्मकम् | कि दैवं कि फलं चैव कस्माच्च परमुच्यते,सुवर्ण क्या है? कब और किस तरहसे इसकी उत्पत्ति हुई? सुवर्णका उपादान क्या है? इसका देवता कौन है? इसके दानका फल क्या है? सुवर्ण क्यों उत्तम कहलाता है?
ki suvarṇaṁ kathaṁ jātaṁ kasmin kāle kim-ātmakam | ki daivaṁ ki phalaṁ caiva kasmāc ca param ucyate ||
سأل يودهيشثيرا: «ما الذهب، وكيف نشأ؟ وفي أي زمان ظهر، وما ماهيته الجوهرية؟ وأيُّ إلهٍ يتولّى رعايته؟ وما ثمرةُ التصدّق به؟ ولماذا يُقال إن الذهب هو الأعلى منزلةً (بين العطايا والنفائس)؟»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry into dāna: it treats gold not merely as wealth but as a sacred substance whose origin, presiding deity, and karmic ‘fruit’ determine its ethical use. The implied teaching is that gifts should be understood in terms of their nature and spiritual consequences, not only their market value.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on gifts and righteous conduct, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a set of systematic questions about suvarṇa—its origin, essence, divine association, the merit gained by donating it, and why it is praised as the foremost—prompting the ensuing discourse on the sanctity and efficacy of gold-giving.