Shloka 25
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
अन्यमेवाहमिच्छामि भक्तायानुग्रह॑ं कृतम् । पृथिवीं रत्नपूर्णा वा महद् वा रत्नसंचयम्
anyam evāham icchāmi bhaktāyānugrahaṃ kṛtam | pṛthivīṃ ratnapūrṇā vā mahad vā ratnasañcayam |
Kuṇḍadhāra said: “I seek a different kind of favor to be granted to this devotee. I do not desire for him a jewel-filled earth, nor some vast hoard of gems. Let the true grace be this: that he become righteous, that his understanding remain fixed in dharma, and that he sustain his life by dharma alone—so that dharma is the guiding priority of his life. This, to me, is the greatest blessing for him.”
कुण्डधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest ‘anugraha’ (grace) is not material prosperity but steadfastness in dharma—right understanding, ethical conduct, and sustaining one’s life through righteous means.
Kuṇḍadhāra addresses a benefactor (implied giver of boons) and refuses worldly rewards for his devotee, asking instead for an inner transformation: a life governed by dharma rather than by wealth.