Shloka 1

Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna

Utility Gifts

Devanagari script

एकषष्टितमो< ध्याय: राजाके लिये यज्ञ

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—dānaṁ yajñaḥ kriyā ceha kiṁsvit pretya mahāphalam | kasya jyāyaḥ phalaṁ prokte kīdṛśebhyaḥ kathaṁ kadā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Von Wohltätigkeit und Opfer—ja, von religiösem Handeln in dieser Welt—was bringt nach dem Tod die größte Frucht? Wessen Ergebnis wird von beiden als höher bezeichnet? Welcher Art von Brāhmaṇen soll man Gaben geben, wann und wie? Und auf welche Weise und zu welcher Zeit sollen Opfer vollzogen werden? Ich wünsche, dies wahrheitsgemäß zu erkennen. O Gelehrter, lege mir das Dharma des Gebens ausführlich dar.“

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दानम्: gift; giving (charity)
• दानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यज्ञः: sacrifice; ritual
• यज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्रिया: religious act; rite; performance
• क्रिया: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• इह: here; in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• स्वित्: indeed? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वित्

• प्रेत्य: having departed; after death
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ
• Form: Gerund (Absolutive)

• महाफलम्: great-fruited; yielding great result
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाफल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कस्य: of which? of whom?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ज्यायः: greater; superior
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्यायस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• फलम्: fruit; result
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• प्रोक्तम्: said; declared
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच्
• Form: Past Passive Participle, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कीदृशेभ्यः: to what kind (of persons)?
• कीदृशेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative/Ablative, Plural

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• कदा: when?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇas
• Dāna (charity)
• Yajña (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: how to evaluate the spiritual efficacy of charity (dāna) versus sacrifice (yajña), and what proper criteria (recipient, time, manner) make these acts ethically and religiously fruitful, especially with regard to posthumous merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

At the opening of the chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches a learned authority (contextually Bhīṣma in the Anuśāsana Parva) and asks for a detailed exposition on the comparative merits of dāna and yajña and the correct rules for giving and performing rites.