Shloka 2
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
दानानामुत्तमं यच्च देयं यच्च यथा यथा । मान्यान् पूज्यांश्व गाड़ेय रहस्यं वक्तुमहसि,गंगानन्दन! सब दानोंमें जो उत्तम दान है, जिस वस्तुका जिस-जिस प्रकारसे दान करना उचित है तथा जो माननीय और पूजनीय हैं--इन सब रहस्यमय (गोपनीय) विषयोंका वर्णन कीजिये
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dānānām uttamaṃ yac ca deyaṃ yac ca yathā yathā | mānyān pūjyāṃś ca gāṅgeya rahasyaṃ vaktum arhasi gaṅgānandana ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Gāṅgeya, Sohn der Gaṅgā, verkünde mir die geheime Lehre: welches ist das höchste unter den Gaben, was soll gegeben werden und auf welche rechte Weise; und wer sind wahrhaft würdig, geehrt und verehrt zu werden?“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dāna as a dharmic discipline requiring discernment: one must know the highest form of giving, what is appropriate to give, the proper method of giving, and who truly deserves honor and reverence. Charity is presented not as mere generosity but as ethically guided action.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows and teaching dharma—requesting confidential guidance on the principles of charity and the identification of worthy recipients and venerable persons.