Shloka 1
Vipulopākhyāna—Ruci-rakṣā and Śakra’s Māyā (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—रुचिरक्षणं शक्रमाया च)
: सप्तत्रिशो5्ध्याय: दानपात्रकी परीक्षा युधिषछ्िर उवाच अपूर्वश्च भवेत् पात्रमथवापि चिरोषित: । दूरादभ्यागतं चापि किं पात्र स््थात् पितामह
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: apūrvaś ca bhavet pātram athavāpi ciroṣitaḥ | dūrād abhyāgataṃ cāpi kiṃ pātraṃ syāt pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Grandfather, who should be regarded as a worthy recipient of gifts? Is it a person previously unknown to the giver, or one who has long dwelt with him, or even someone who has come from a far country? Among these, which is truly the best vessel for charity?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dāna-dharma: how to discern a ‘pātra’ (worthy recipient). It highlights that worthiness is not automatically determined by familiarity, long association, or foreign arrival, but requires principled evaluation—setting up Bhīṣma’s guidance on criteria for righteous giving.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on gifts, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and asks which type of person should be considered the best recipient of charity: a stranger, a long-time associate, or a traveler from far away.