Shloka 26
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
वन्या ग्राम्याश्वेह तथा कृष्टोप्ता: पर्वताश्रया: । अकण्टका: कण्टकिनो गन्धरूपरसान्विता:
śukra uvāca |
vanyā grāmyāś ca iha tathā kṛṣṭoptāḥ parvatāśrayāḥ |
akaṇṭakāḥ kaṇṭakino gandharūparasānvitāḥ ||
Śukra said: “Here, some trees are wild and some are cultivated near villages; some are planted after the soil is tilled, while others arise on their own in mountain regions. Among them, some are thornless and others thorny; yet all are endowed with fragrance, form, and taste.”
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights natural diversity: beings arise through different conditions—wild, cultivated, or self-grown—yet all share inherent qualities. Ethically, it supports a dharmic outlook that recognizes common endowments amid outward differences.
Śukra is speaking in an instructive mode, using the example of trees—village-grown, forest-grown, planted, or mountain-born—to illustrate variety in the world and the shared presence of qualities like fragrance, form, and taste.