Shloka 3
गवां लोकवर्णनं तथा गोप्रदानफलश्रुतिः
Description of the ‘World of Cows’ and the Stated Fruits of Cow-Gift
सर्ववर्णस्तु यच्छक्यं प्रदातुं फलकाड्क्षिभि: । वेदे वा यत् समाख्यातं तन्मे व्याख्यातुमरहसि
sarvavarṇas tu yac chakyaṃ pradātuṃ phalākāṅkṣibhiḥ | vede vā yat samākhyātaṃ tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Please explain to me what gifts may be given by people of all social orders who seek the fruit of giving, and also those forms of giving that are proclaimed in the Veda.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dāna (giving) as a dharmic practice to be understood both in terms of what is practically possible for all varṇas and in terms of what the Veda authoritatively prescribes—inviting a systematic explanation of legitimate forms of charity and their intended fruits.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance on dharma, asks the elder teacher to expound the kinds of gifts that people can offer—especially those who seek merit—and to clarify the Vedic descriptions of such giving.