Shloka 15
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
बलिस्वाच सुमनोधूपदीपानां किं फल ब्रह्मवित्तम । प्रदानस्य द्विजश्रेष्ठ तद् भवान् वक्तुमहति
Baliḥ uvāca—sumanodūpadīpānāṁ kiṁ phalaṁ brahmaviduttama? pradānasya, dvijaśreṣṭha, tad bhavān vaktum arhati.
Bali sprach: „O erhabenster Kenner des Brahman, o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen—welche Frucht erwächst aus dem Darbringen von Blumen, Weihrauch und Lampen? Sei so gütig und erkläre mir das Verdienst solcher Gaben.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: it asks about the spiritual and ethical merit (phala) of simple devotional gifts—flowers, incense, and lamps—highlighting that even modest offerings, when given with reverence, are considered meaningful acts of dāna and worship.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse on dharma, Bali poses a respectful question to a learned Brahmanical authority (addressed as brahmaviduttama and dvijaśreṣṭha), requesting an explanation of the results of offering flowers, incense, and lamps.