Shloka 37
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
जीवन्तं त्वानुजीवन्तु प्रजा: सर्वा युधिष्ठिर । पर्जन्यमिव भूतानि महाद्रुममिवाण्डजा:
jīvantaṃ tvānujīvantu prajāḥ sarvā yudhiṣṭhira | parjanyam iva bhūtāni mahādrumam ivāṇḍajāḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Yudhiṣṭhira, mögen alle deine Untertanen von deinem Leben leben und mit dir gedeihen. Wie die Wesen vom Regen abhängen und wie die Vögel von einem großen Baum abhängen, so möge das Volk von dir abhängen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma is to sustain and protect the people so thoroughly that their livelihood and security naturally depend on him—like all beings relying on rain and birds relying on a great tree. The verse frames rulership as responsibility and nourishment, not mere power.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance. Here he offers a benediction and a vivid simile, expressing that Yudhiṣṭhira’s continued life and just rule should enable the prosperity of all subjects.