Shloka 1
जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः
The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit
अप ह< बक। है २ >> एकनवर्त्याधिकशततमो< ध्याय: ब्रह्मचर्य और गार्हस्थ्य आश्रमोंके धर्मका वर्णन भरद्वाज उवाच दानस्य कि फल प्राहुर्धर्मस्थ चरितस्य च । तपसश्च सुतप्तस्य स्वाध्यायस्य हुतस्य वा,भरद्वाजने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! आचरणमें लाये हुए दानरूप धर्मका, भलीभाँति की हुई तपस्याका तथा स्वाध्याय और अग्निहोत्रका क्या फल बताया गया है?
Bharadvāja uvāca: dānasya kiṁ phalaṁ prāhur dharmastha caritasya ca | tapasaś ca sutaptasya svādhyāyasya hutasya vā ||
Bharadvāja sprach: „O Brāhmaṇa, welches Ergebnis verkünden die Weisen für die Gabe, wenn sie im festen Stand in der Dharma geübt wird? Und was gilt als Frucht wohlvollzogener Askese, des vedischen Selbststudiums (svādhyāya) und der Opfergaben, die in das heilige Feuer dargebracht werden?“
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: it asks what spiritual and ethical ‘fruits’ are attributed to four foundational disciplines—charity grounded in righteousness, properly performed austerity, disciplined Vedic study, and fire-offerings—setting up a discussion on how inner intention and right conduct determine the value of religious acts.
At the opening of the chapter, the sage Bharadvāja addresses a Brāhmaṇa teacher and requests an authoritative explanation of the outcomes (phala) of key duties associated with brahmacarya and gārhasthya life—giving, tapas, svādhyāya, and ritual offerings.