Shloka 4
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
अप्रतिग्राहके कि च फलं लोके पितामह । तस्य किं च फल दृष्टं श्रुतं यस्तु प्रयच्छति
apratigrāhake kiṁ phalaṁ loke pitāmaha | tasya kiṁ ca phalaṁ dṛṣṭaṁ śrutaṁ yastu prayacchati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô Aïeul vénérable, quelle récompense en ce monde revient à celui qui n’accepte pas de dons (qui ne vit pas de ce qu’il reçoit) ? Et quelle récompense—vue ou rapportée par la tradition sacrée—appartient à celui qui donne, qui dispense (biens et connaissance) ?»
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into dharma: the spiritual and social consequences of two complementary disciplines—restraint in receiving (apratigraha) and generosity in giving (prayacchati). It invites reflection on purity, detachment, and merit as taught by experience (dṛṣṭa) and tradition (śruta).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha) about the rewards for one who refuses to accept gifts and for one who gives—seeking authoritative guidance on proper conduct and its results.