Shloka 11

Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna

Utility Gifts

Devanagari script

यावत: साधुधर्मान्‌ वै सन्त: संवर्धयन्त्युत । सर्वस्वैश्वापि भर्तव्या नरा ये बहुकारिण:

Transliteration

yāvataḥ sādhudharmān vai santaḥ saṃvardhayanty uta | sarvasvaiś cāpi bhartavyā narā ye bahukāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : Tant que les hommes vertueux maintiennent et font croître les formes justes du dharma, de tels hommes—qui rendent de grands services au roi et au royaume—doivent être soutenus et entretenus, fût-ce au prix de toute sa fortune. Les nourrir n’est pas une aumône, mais un devoir, car leur seule présence affermit la morale publique et l’ordre.

Word by Word

• यावतः: as many as / those who (as many)
• यावतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• साधु-धर्मान्: good/virtuous duties (righteous practices)
• साधु-धर्मान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• सन्तः: the good (saints, virtuous people)
• सन्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• संवर्धयन्ति: they increase, foster
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• उत: and also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत

• सर्वस्वैः: with all one’s possessions / by one’s entire wealth
• सर्वस्वैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वस्व
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अपि: even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भर्तव्याः: should be supported/maintained
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Gerundive (future passive participle), -तव्य

• नराः: men (persons)
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बहु-कारिणः: doing much (highly beneficial)
• बहु-कारिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• santaḥ (virtuous persons/saints)
• narāḥ (men/benefactors)
• rājā (king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler (and society) must materially support those virtuous people who actively promote and expand righteous conduct; even great expense is justified because their work sustains dharma and benefits the kingdom.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous governance and conduct. Here he emphasizes the king’s obligation to maintain and honor beneficent, dharma-promoting persons, treating their support as a state duty tied to moral order.