Shloka 15
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
बलिस्वाच सुमनोधूपदीपानां किं फल ब्रह्मवित्तम । प्रदानस्य द्विजश्रेष्ठ तद् भवान् वक्तुमहति
Baliḥ uvāca—sumanodūpadīpānāṁ kiṁ phalaṁ brahmaviduttama? pradānasya, dvijaśreṣṭha, tad bhavān vaktum arhati.
Bali said: “O foremost knower of Brahman, O best of the twice-born—what fruit arises from offering flowers, incense, and lamps? Please be so kind as to explain to me the merit of such gifts.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: it asks about the spiritual and ethical merit (phala) of simple devotional gifts—flowers, incense, and lamps—highlighting that even modest offerings, when given with reverence, are considered meaningful acts of dāna and worship.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse on dharma, Bali poses a respectful question to a learned Brahmanical authority (addressed as brahmaviduttama and dvijaśreṣṭha), requesting an explanation of the results of offering flowers, incense, and lamps.