Shloka 22

Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share

Devanagari script

दीपालोक प्रदानेन चक्षुष्मान्‌ भवते नर: । प्रेक्षणीयप्रदानेन स्मृतिं मेधां च विन्दति

Transliteration

dīpāloka-pradānena cakṣuṣmān bhavate naraḥ | prekṣaṇīya-pradānena smṛtiṁ medhāṁ ca vindati ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : En offrant la lumière d’une lampe, l’homme acquiert une vue saine et sûre. En donnant des choses dignes d’être vues—des objets qui réjouissent le regard et l’élèvent—il obtient la mémoire et une intelligence pénétrante.

Word by Word

• दीप-आलोक-प्रदानेन: by the giving of lamp-light
• दीप-आलोक-प्रदानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप + आलोक + प्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• चक्षुष्मान्: possessed of good eyesight
• चक्षुष्मान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्षुष्मत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवते: becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रेक्षणीय-प्रदानेन: by the giving of things worth seeing (pleasant/beautiful objects)
• प्रेक्षणीय-प्रदानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेक्षणीय + प्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• स्मृतिम्: memory
• स्मृतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मेधाम्: intelligence
• मेधाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेधा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विन्दति: obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dīpa (lamp)
• āloka (light/illumination)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that specific charitable acts yield corresponding benefits: donating lamplight supports clear vision, and donating worthy, pleasing objects supports mental clarity—memory (smṛti) and intelligence (medhā). It promotes dāna as a practical dharmic discipline that nurtures both body and mind.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is reciting a didactic passage in the Anuśāsana Parva that catalogs the fruits of different kinds of gifts. Here he highlights the merit and beneficial results of offering illumination and visually edifying items.