Shloka 12
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
सुवर्णचन्द्रोत्तम धारिणीनां कन्योत्तमानामददं सहस्रम् । षष्टिं सहस्राणि विभूषितानां जाम्बूनदैराभरणैर्न तेन
suvarṇacandrottama-dhāriṇīnāṃ kanyottamānām adadaṃ sahasram | ṣaṣṭiṃ sahasrāṇi vibhūṣitānāṃ jāmbūnadair ābharaṇair na tena ||
Bhagīratha sprach: „Ich verschenkte tausend der edelsten Jungfrauen, geschmückt mit vortrefflichen goldenen, mondgleichen Zierden; und weitere sechzigtausend, reich geziert mit Schmuck aus Jāmbūnada-Gold—und doch erlangte ich selbst dadurch keine Genüge (und nicht das erstrebte Ziel).“
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that sheer magnitude of giving—lavish gifts, vast numbers, and costly ornaments—does not automatically fulfill one’s moral or spiritual aim; intention, propriety, and the right context of dāna matter as much as (or more than) quantity.
Bhagīratha speaks of having made extraordinarily large gifts—thousands of excellent maidens and tens of thousands adorned with gold jewelry—yet he states that even such grand generosity did not achieve the desired result, implying a reflection on the limits of ostentatious giving and the need for right dharmic alignment.