Shloka 14
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 199: Dharmavyādha on Svakarma, Vidhi, and the Limits of Ahiṃsā
तमहं रथं प्राशंसमथ राजाब्रवीद् भगवता रथ: प्रशस्तः । एब भगवतो रथ इति,“उस समय मैंने उस रथकी बड़ी प्रशंसा की।” राजा बोले--'भगवन्! आपने इस रथकी प्रशंसा की है। अतः यह रथ आपहीका है”
tam ahaṃ rathaṃ prāśaṃsam atha rājābravīd bhagavatā rathaḥ praśastaḥ | eṣa bhagavato ratha iti |
I praised that chariot highly. Then the king said, “Revered sir, since you have commended this chariot, this chariot belongs to you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should honor worthy speech and merit: sincere praise from a respected person is treated as a sign of value, prompting generous and dharmic giving.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that he praised a particular chariot; the king responds by offering that very chariot to him, saying it should belong to the venerable one who has commended it.