Shloka 17
Tilā-Dāna, Dīpa-Dāna, and Nitya-Jalapradāna
Yama–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda) | तिलदान-दीपदान-नित्यजलप्रदान (यम-ब्राह्मण संवाद
चित्रायां वृषभ॑ दत्त्वा पुण्यगन्धांश्व भारत । चरन्त्यप्सरसां लोके रमन्ते नन्दने तथा,भारत! जो लोग चित्रा नक्षत्रमें वृषभ एवं पवित्र गन्धका दान करते हैं, वे अप्सराओंके लोकमें विचरते और नन्दनवनमें रमण करते हैं
Citrāyāṁ vṛṣabhaṁ dattvā puṇya-gandhāṁś ca Bhārata | caranty apsarasāṁ loke ramante Nandane tathā ||
Nārada said: “O Bhārata, those who, under the asterism Citrā, give the gift of a bull and offer pure, auspicious fragrances attain the realm of the Apsarases. There they roam freely and delight in Nandana, Indra’s celestial grove.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that timely, auspicious gifts—specifically the donation of a bull and pure fragrances when the Citrā nakṣatra prevails—generate merit (puṇya) that yields a pleasant heavenly result: access to the Apsarases’ realm and enjoyment in Nandana. It highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethic that dāna, performed with proper observance and purity, bears concrete karmic fruit.
Nārada is describing the rewards of particular acts of charity. Addressing ‘Bhārata’ (the royal listener), he states that those who make these offerings at the specified astral time attain a celestial destination, where they roam among Apsarases and delight in Indra’s Nandana grove.