Shloka 24

Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma

Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins

Devanagari script

कुण्डधार उवाच नाहं धनानि याचामि ब्राह्म॒णाय धनप्रद

Transliteration

kuṇḍadhāra uvāca | nāhaṃ dhanāni yācāmi brāhmaṇāya dhanaprada | na ca ratnapṛthivīṃ tasmai dātuṃ vā ratnasañcayam | mama tv eṣā matiḥ śreṣṭhā yathā dharmātmā bhavet | dharme buddhir asya satataṃ dharmeṇaiva ca jīvikā | dharmapradhānaṃ jīvitaṃ tad asmai paramānugraham ||

Translation

Kuṇḍadhāra said: “O giver of wealth, I do not ask for riches for this brāhmaṇa. I do not wish to grant him a jewel-filled earth or a vast hoard of gems. My highest wish is this: let him become truly devoted to dharma; let his understanding remain steadily rooted in dharma; let him sustain his life by dharma alone, with dharma as the foremost principle of his living. This, for him, I regard as the greatest grace.”

Word by Word

• कुण्डधारः: Kundadhara
• कुण्डधारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डधार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• धनानि: wealth, riches
• धनानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• याचामि: I beg/ask for
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच्
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• ब्राह्मणाय: for a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• धन-प्रद: O giver of wealth
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनप्रद
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

कुण्डधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍadhāra
• brāhmaṇa
• dhanaprada (wealth-giver; addressed deity/benefactor)
• ratna (jewels/gems)
• pṛthivī (earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the highest blessing is not material prosperity but steadfast commitment to dharma—clear moral discernment, a life guided by righteousness, and livelihood earned through ethical means.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kuṇḍadhāra addresses a ‘wealth-giver’ and refuses to request riches for a brāhmaṇa devotee. Instead, he asks for a deeper boon: that the devotee become dharma-centered in character, thought, and livelihood, treating this as the greatest form of divine favor.