Shloka 2
गोप्रदान-भूमिदान-विधि
Gopradāna–Bhūmidāna Guidelines and Recipient Eligibility
पवित्रमथ चायुष्यं पितृणामक्षयं च तत् । सुवर्ण मनुजेन्द्रेण हरिश्वन्द्रेण कीर्तितम्,राजा हरिश्वन्द्रने कहा है कि 'सुवर्ण परम पवित्र, आयु बढ़ानेवाला और पितरोंको अक्षय गति प्रदान करनेवाला है'
bhīṣma uvāca | pavitram atha cāyuṣyaṃ pitṝṇām akṣayaṃ ca tat | suvarṇaṃ manujendreṇa hariścandreṇa kīrtitam |
Bhishma said: “Gold is declared to be supremely purifying and life-promoting; it also grants an imperishable benefit for the ancestors. This was taught by King Harishchandra, the foremost among men.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that giving or employing gold in righteous, dharmic ways is considered highly purifying, supportive of longevity, and capable of producing enduring merit connected with one’s ancestors—emphasizing the moral weight of dāna and pitṛ-responsibility.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, cites King Harishchandra as an authoritative exemplar who proclaimed the special religious and ethical efficacy of gold, particularly in contexts linked to merit and ancestral welfare.