Shloka 18
Śāṃtanu’s Ideal Rule; Devavrata’s Return; The Satyavatī Marriage Condition and Bhīṣma’s Vow (आदि पर्व, अध्याय ९४)
ययातिरुवाच अददद् देवयानाय यावद् वित्तमविन्दत । उशीनरस्य पुत्रो5यं तस्माच्छेष्ठो हि व: शिबि:,ययातिने कहा--राजन्! उशीनरके पुत्र शिबिने ब्रह्मलोकके मार्गकी प्राप्तिके लिये अपना सर्वस्व दान कर दिया था, इसीलिये ये तुम सब लोगोंमें श्रेष्ठ हैं
Yayātir uvāca: adadad Devayānāya yāvad vittam avindata; Uśīnarasya putro ’yaṃ, tasmāc chreṣṭho hi vaḥ Śibiḥ.
Dijo Yayāti: «Siguió dando a Devayānī tanta riqueza como podía obtener. Este Śibi es hijo de Uśīnara; por ello, entre todos vosotros, Śibi es en verdad el más preeminente». La afirmación subraya la generosidad ejemplar de Śibi—renunciar incluso a lo más querido por un fin superior—presentada como modelo ético de dāna (dar desinteresadamente) conforme al dharma.
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates dāna (generous giving) as a royal and ethical ideal: one who gives selflessly and persistently, even at personal cost, becomes ‘foremost’ in dharma and earns lasting renown and merit.
Yayāti is speaking and praising Śibi—identified as Uśīnara’s son—as the best among the group, citing his extraordinary generosity and readiness to give away all he could obtain (and, by broader tradition, even his own dearest possessions) for a higher spiritual end.