Shloka 87

Devanagari script

दातार: संविभक्तारो दीनानुग्रहकारिण:,जो सबको दान देनेवाले, अपने कुट॒म्बीजनोंमें प्रत्येक वस्तुको समानरूपसे बाँटकर उसका उपयोग करनेवाले, दीनजनोंपर कृपाभाव बनाये रखनेवाले, शास्त्रज्ञानके धनी, सबके लिये समादरणीय, तपस्वी और समस्त प्राणियोंके प्रति दयालु हैं, वे श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंद्वारा सम्मानित शिष्ट कहे गये हैं

Transliteration

dātāraḥ saṁvibhaktāro dīnānugrahakāriṇaḥ | śāstrajñānadhanāḥ sarvaiḥ samādarhaṇīyāḥ tapasvinaḥ sarvaprāṇibhyo dayālavaḥ | te śreṣṭhapuruṣaiḥ satkṛtāḥ śiṣṭā iti kīrtitāḥ ||

Translation

The hunter said: “Those who give generously, who share what they have by distributing it fairly among their own household, who maintain compassion toward the poor, who are rich in scriptural understanding, worthy of respect to all, disciplined in austerity, and kind to every living being—such people are honored by the best of men and are called ‘the cultured and righteous’.”

Word by Word

• {'dātāraḥ': 'givers

• those who donate', 'saṁvibhaktāraḥ': 'those who apportion/share properly

• equitable distributors', 'dīna': 'poor, distressed, helpless', 'anugraha': 'favor, compassion, benevolent support', 'kāriṇaḥ': 'doers

• practitioners', 'śāstra-jñāna': 'knowledge of sacred teaching and ethical treatises', 'dhana (in śāstrajñānadhanāḥ)': 'wealth

• here, ‘wealth’ of learning', 'samādarhaṇīyāḥ': 'worthy of honor/respect by all', 'tapasvin(aḥ)': 'austere, self-disciplined, ascetic in conduct', 'sarva-prāṇin': 'all living beings', 'dayālu(vaḥ)': 'compassionate, merciful', 'śreṣṭha-puruṣa': 'excellent/noble persons', 'satkṛta': 'honored, respected', 'śiṣṭa': 'cultured, well-conducted, righteous (as a social-ethical ideal)', 'kīrtita': 'declared, renowned, called'}

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

• vyādha (the hunter; speaker)
• śreṣṭhapuruṣāḥ (noble persons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True ‘cultured righteousness’ (śiṣṭatva) is defined by ethical practice: generosity, fair sharing within one’s household, active compassion for the poor, disciplined self-restraint, learning grounded in śāstra, and universal kindness toward living beings—qualities that earn the respect of the wise.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Dharma-vyādha episode of the Vana Parva, the hunter instructs a seeker on dharma. Here he lists the traits by which society recognizes genuinely righteous and exemplary people.