Shloka 6
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
तत्र श्रुतिस्तु परमा सुवर्ण दक्षिणेति वै । एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं पितामह यथातथम्,इनमें सुवर्ण सबसे उत्तम दक्षिणा है--ऐसा श्रुतिका वचन है, अतः पितामह! मैं इस विषयको यथार्थ रूपसे सुनना चाहता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
tatra śrutis tu paramā suvarṇa-dakṣiṇeti vai |
etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ pitāmaha yathā-tatham ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “In this matter, the highest testimony of the Śruti indeed declares that gold is the supreme dakṣiṇā, the sacrificial fee. Grandfather, I wish to hear from you the truth of this—exactly as it is.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds śruti (Vedic revelation) as the highest authority in matters of ritual and gifting, and raises the ethical question of what constitutes the सर्वोत्तम (supreme) dakṣiṇā—here identified as gold—inviting a precise, truthful explanation rather than mere hearsay.
During Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira asks the grandsire to clarify a scriptural claim he has heard: that gold is the highest form of dakṣiṇā. He requests an accurate account ‘as it truly is’ (yathā-tatham).