Shloka 53
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
गिरिप्रपाते गहने चैत्यस्थाने चतुष्पथे । (गोब्राह्मणालये दुर्गे दीपो भूतिप्रद: शुचि: ।) दीपदानं भवेन्नित्यं य इच्छेद् भूतिमात्मन:
giriprapāte gahane caityasthāne catuṣpathe | gobrāhmaṇālaye durge dīpo bhūtipradaḥ śuciḥ | dīpadānaṃ bhaven nityaṃ ya icched bhūtim ātmanaḥ ||
Dijo Śukra: En un paso de montaña, en un paraje solitario y peligroso, en un santuario y en una encrucijada—y también en un establo de vacas o en la morada de un brāhmaṇa, y en una fortaleza—debe mantenerse una lámpara pura que otorga bienestar. Quien desee prosperidad para sí mismo debe hacer del ofrecimiento de una lámpara una práctica cotidiana.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that offering or maintaining a pure lamp (dīpadāna) in key communal and sacred locations is a daily dharmic act that promotes auspicious welfare and personal prosperity; it links personal well-being with sustaining light, safety, and sanctity in shared spaces.
Śukra is giving prescriptive instruction about meritorious conduct, listing specific places—dangerous paths, secluded areas, shrines, crossroads, and protected dharmic sites like cowsheds and Brahmin dwellings—where keeping or offering a lamp is recommended as a regular practice for one who seeks prosperity.