Shloka 5
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
नतु पापकृतां राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्लन्ति साधव: । एतस्मात् कारणाद् यज्ञैर्यजेदू राजा$5प्तदक्षिणै:
bhīṣma uvāca | na tu pāpakṛtāṃ rājñāṃ pratigṛhṇanti sādhavaḥ | etasmāt kāraṇād yajñair yajed rājā āptadakṣiṇaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Die Rechtschaffenen nehmen keine Gaben von Königen an, die sündhafte Taten begehen. Darum soll ein König Opfer vollziehen und eine angemessene, ausreichende Dakṣiṇā (Opfergabe/Opferlohn) gewähren, damit sein Geben würdig und reinigend werde und nicht befleckt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gifts are ethically conditioned: if a ruler is sinful, his donations are considered tainted and are refused by the virtuous. A king should therefore align his giving with dharma—especially by performing yajñas and giving proper dakṣiṇā—so that generosity supports righteousness rather than laundering wrongdoing.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains standards for accepting and giving wealth. He warns that good people refuse gifts from immoral kings and advises the king to undertake sacrificial rites with appropriate fees, presenting a model of legitimate, dharmic patronage.