Shloka 24
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)
धनोत्सर्गेडपि च कृते न त्वां क्रोध: प्रधर्षयत्
dhanotsarge 'pi ca kṛte na tvāṁ krodhaḥ pradharṣayat | prītyarthaṁ tava caitan me svargasaṁdarśanaṁ kṛtam ||
Même lorsque je me mis à te dépouiller de tes richesses, la colère ne te domina point. Ce seul fait me combla de joie à ton égard. C’est pourquoi, ô roi, seigneur parmi les hommes, je t’ai fait—avec ton épouse—contempler le ciel en cette forêt, uniquement pour te satisfaire. Sache-le bien : le dessein de tous ces actes n’était que de te donner contentement.
च्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True virtue is shown by restraint: even under provocation and material loss, one should not be conquered by anger. Such self-mastery becomes the basis for honor, divine favor, and higher attainments.
Cyavana explains that he deliberately created a situation where the king’s wealth was taken away to test him. Seeing that the king did not succumb to anger, Cyavana became pleased and therefore granted the king (with his wife) a vision of heaven in the forest as a reward and reassurance.