Shloka 1
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
एकषष्टितमो< ध्याय: राजाके लिये यज्ञ, दान और ब्राह्मण आदि प्रजाकी रक्षाका उपदेश युधिछिर उवाच दानं यज्ञ: क्रिया चेह किंस्वित् प्रेत्य महाफलम् । कस्य ज्याय: फल प्रोक्ते कीदृशेभ्य: कथं कदा,युधिष्ठिनने पूछा--भारत! दान और यज्ञकर्म-इन दोनोंमेंसे कौन मृत्युके पश्चात् महान् फल देनेवाला होता है? किसका फल श्रेष्ठ बताया गया है? कैसे ब्राह्मणोंको कब दान देना चाहिये और किस प्रकार कब यज्ञ करना चाहिये? मैं इस बातको यथार्थरूपसे जानना चाहता हूँ। विद्वन! आप मुझ जिज्ञासुको दानसम्बन्धी धर्म विस्तारपूर्वक बताइये
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—dānaṁ yajñaḥ kriyā ceha kiṁsvit pretya mahāphalam | kasya jyāyaḥ phalaṁ prokte kīdṛśebhyaḥ kathaṁ kadā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Between charity and sacrifice—indeed, among all righteous acts in this world—which yields the greatest fruit after death? Of the two, whose result is declared superior? To what kind of brāhmaṇas should gifts be given, and when and how? And in what manner and at what time should sacrifices be performed? I wish to know this truthfully. O learned one, explain to me in detail the dharma concerning gifts.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: how to evaluate the spiritual efficacy of charity (dāna) versus sacrifice (yajña), and what proper criteria (recipient, time, manner) make these acts ethically and religiously fruitful, especially with regard to posthumous merit.
At the opening of the chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches a learned authority (contextually Bhīṣma in the Anuśāsana Parva) and asks for a detailed exposition on the comparative merits of dāna and yajña and the correct rules for giving and performing rites.