Shloka 19
Śāṇḍilī–Sumanā-saṃvāda: Sat-strī-samudācāra and Pati-dharma
Conduct of the Virtuous Wife
यथा वेदा: स्वधीताश्ष यथा चेन्द्रियसंयम: । सर्वत्यागो यथा चेह तथा दानमनुत्तमम्,जैसे वेदोंका स्वाध्याय, इन्द्रियोंका संयम और सर्वस्वका त्याग उत्तम है, उसी प्रकार इस संसारमें दान भी अत्यन्त उत्तम माना गया है
yathā vedāḥ svadhītāś ca yathendriya-saṃyamaḥ | sarva-tyāgo yathā ceha tathā dānam anuttamam ||
Vyāsa said: “Just as the diligent study of the Vedas, the restraint of the senses, and the renunciation of all possessions are held to be excellent, so too in this world charity (dāna) is regarded as supremely excellent.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks dāna (charitable giving) among the highest virtues, placing it alongside Vedic study, sense-control, and total renunciation—implying that generosity is a central, practical expression of dharma in worldly life.
Vyāsa is instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic context, emphasizing the excellence of charity by comparing it to other revered disciplines such as Vedic learning, self-restraint, and complete renunciation.