Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
ब्राह्मण–क्षत्रिय-श्रेष्ठता-विवादः
Arjuna–Vāyu Dialogue on Brāhmaṇa and Kṣatriya Precedence
एवं संवत्सरं कृत्वा दानं बहुफलं लभेत् वल्मीके बलिमादाय तन्नो बहुफलं मतम्
evaṁ saṁvatsaraṁ kṛtvā dānaṁ bahu-phalaṁ labhet | valmīke balim ādāya tan no bahu-phalaṁ matam ||
Reṇukā dijo: «Si alguien realiza este acto de dádiva durante un año entero, obtiene mérito abundante. Pero tomar una ofrenda (bali) destinada al hormiguero (valmīka) no es, a nuestro juicio, un acto que produzca gran fruto».
रेणुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained charity (dāna) practiced over time yields great spiritual fruit, whereas appropriating what has been set aside as an offering—here, an offering associated with the valmīka—is ethically improper and not regarded as highly meritorious.
Renukā contrasts two actions: (1) performing charitable giving continuously for a year, which brings abundant merit, and (2) taking away an offering placed for the valmīka, which she rejects as a source of ‘great fruit,’ emphasizing correct conduct around offerings.