Shloka 45

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

इदं च मामब्रवीद्‌ धर्मराज: पुन: पुन: सम्प्रहृष्टो महर्षे । दानेन यः प्रयतो5भूत्‌ सदैव विशेषतो गोप्रदानं च कुर्यात्‌

Transliteration

idaṃ ca mām abravīd dharmarājaḥ punaḥ punaḥ samprahṛṣṭo maharṣe | dānena yaḥ prayato 'bhūt sadaiva viśeṣato gopradānaṃ ca kuryāt, maharṣe ||

Translation

Et de nouveau, et encore, ô grand sage, Dharmarāja—le cœur comblé de joie—me dit ceci : «Quiconque veut demeurer sans cesse purifié par l’acte de donner doit, par-dessus tout, accomplir le don des vaches (go-dāna).»

Word by Word

• {'idaṃ': 'this (statement/teaching)', 'ca': 'and

• also', 'mām': 'to me', 'abravīt': 'said

• spoke', 'dharmarājaḥ': 'Dharmarāja (the king of dharma

• Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'punaḥ punaḥ': 'again and again

• repeatedly', 'samprahṛṣṭaḥ': 'greatly delighted

• pleased', 'maharṣe': 'O great sage (vocative address)', 'dānena': 'by giving

• through charity', 'yaḥ': 'whoever', 'prayataḥ': 'restrained

• earnest in discipline', 'abhūt': 'would be

• becomes', 'sadaiva': 'always

• continually', 'viśeṣataḥ': 'especially

• in particular', 'go-pradānam': 'gift of cows

• cow-donation', 'kuryāt': 'should do

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Nāciketa)
• धर्मराज (Dharmarāja/Yudhiṣṭhira)
• महर्षि (Mahārṣi, addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Charity is presented as a means of ongoing inner purification, and among gifts, go-dāna (the donation of cows) is singled out as especially meritorious and dharmic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nāciketa reports a repeated instruction he received from Dharmarāja, who, in a pleased mood, emphasizes to him that those seeking continual purity through giving should particularly undertake the gift of cows.