Shloka 26
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 199: Dharmavyādha on Svakarma, Vidhi, and the Limits of Ahiṃsā
शिबिरुवाच नैवाहमेतद् यशसे ददानि न चार्थहेतोर्न च भोगतृष्णया । पापैरनासेवित एष मार्ग इत्येवमेतत् सकल॑ करोमि,शिबि बोले--मैं यशके लिये यह दान नहीं देता। धनके लिये अथवा भोगकी लिप्सासे भी दान नहीं करता। यह धर्मात्माओंका मार्ग है। पापी मनुष्य इसपर नहीं चल सकते। ऐसा समझकर ही मैं यह सब कुछ करता रहता हूँ
śibir uvāca: naivāham etad yaśase dadāni na cārtha-hetoḥ na ca bhoga-tṛṣṇayā | pāpair anāsevita eṣa mārga ity evam etat sakalaṃ karomi ||
Śibi said: “I do not give this gift for the sake of fame, nor for wealth, nor out of craving for enjoyment. This path is not followed by the sinful; it is the way of the righteous. Knowing this, I continue to do all this.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True giving should be free from ulterior motives—neither for fame, nor for material gain, nor for sensual gratification. Such generosity is presented as a dharmic path accessible to the righteous, not to those dominated by sin.
King Śibi explains the intention behind his acts of giving: he continues to give because he recognizes it as the righteous path, not as a strategy for reputation, profit, or pleasure.