Shloka 7
ऋत्विग्धर्मः, दक्षिणा-न्यायः, तपसः परमार्थः
Ritvij-Dharma, the Norm of Dakṣiṇā, and the Higher Meaning of Tapas
युधिछिर उवाच यदिदं वेदवचनं दक्षिणासु विधीयते । इदं देयमिदं देयं न क्वचिद् व्यवतिष्ठते,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--भारत! यह जो यज्ञसम्बन्धी दक्षिणाके विषयमें वेदवाक्य उपलब्ध होता है कि “यह भी देना चाहिये, यह भी देना चाहिये” यह वाक्य किसी सीमित वस्तुपर अवलम्बित नहीं है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | yad idaṃ vedavacanaṃ dakṣiṇāsu vidhīyate | idaṃ deyam idaṃ deyam na kvacid vyavatiṣṭhate ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Este mandato védico acerca de la dakṣiṇā, la dádiva debida en el sacrificio, no cesa de proclamar: “Esto debe darse, esto debe darse”, y sin embargo no se asienta en ningún límite fijo. En materia de dar, la orden parece no tener fin; ¿cómo, entonces, ha de comprenderse su justa medida y su regla?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises a dharma-question about giving: Vedic language repeatedly urges generosity (‘this should be given’), but Yudhiṣṭhira seeks clarity on how such an apparently unlimited injunction should be applied—what determines the proper measure, context, and rule of dakṣiṇā.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks about sacrificial giving. He cites a Vedic-style formulation that seems to demand continual giving and notes that it does not specify a clear boundary, prompting the teacher to explain the correct principle behind dakṣiṇā.