Shloka 73
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 58: Yudhiṣṭhira’s dawn rites, royal gifts, and the reception of Kṛṣṇa
तावतीरददद गा वै शिबिरौशीनरो<थ्वरे । बरसते हुए मेघसे जितनी धाराएँ गिरती हैं, आकाशमें जितने नक्षत्र दिखायी देते हैं, गंगाके किनारे जितने बालूके कण हैं, सुमेरु पर्वतमें जितने स्थूल प्रस्तरखण्ड हैं तथा महासागरमें जितने रत्न और प्राणी निवास करते हैं, उतनी गौएँ उशीनरपुत्र शिबिने यज्ञमें ब्राह्मणोंको दी थीं
tāvatīr adadad gā vai śibir auśīnaro 'dhvare | yāvatīr varṣato meghāt patanti dhārā nabhasi | yāvanti nakṣatrāṇi dṛśyante gagane | yāvantaḥ gaṅgā-tīre vālukā-kaṇāḥ | yāvantaḥ sumerau sthūlāḥ prastara-khaṇḍāḥ | yāvanti mahāsāgare ratnāni prāṇinaś ca nivāsanti ||
Nārada said: In his sacrificial rite, Śibi, the son of Uśīnara, gave to the Brahmins as many cows as there are rain-streams that fall from a cloud in downpour, as many as the stars seen in the sky, as many as the grains of sand along the bank of the Gaṅgā, as many as the great stone-masses on Mount Sumeru, and as many as the jewels and living beings that dwell in the great ocean. The passage magnifies Śibi’s generosity as an ethical exemplar of dāna (gift-giving) performed in a dharmic, ritual context.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharmic ideal of dāna: a ruler’s greatness is shown through vast, selfless giving in a righteous context (here, a yajña), especially toward Brahmins and sacred obligations. Hyperbolic comparisons underscore that generosity should be expansive, not merely minimal.
Nārada recounts an exemplary deed of King Śibi Auśīnara: during a sacrifice he donated an immeasurable number of cows to Brahmins, described through cosmic-scale comparisons (rain-streams, stars, sand on the Gaṅgā’s bank, rocks of Sumeru, and jewels and beings in the ocean).