Shloka 52
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
'भृगुश्रेष्ठ! वे सोनेके बने हुए मुकुट, बाजूबंद तथा अन्य नाना प्रकारके अलंकारोंसे सुशोभित होते हैं ।।
bhṛguśreṣṭha! te soneke bane hue mukuṭa, bājūbanda tathā anya nānā prakārake alaṅkāroṃ se suśobhita hote haiṃ. tasmāt sarvapavitrebhyaḥ pavitraṃ paramaṃ smṛtam; bhūme gobhyo 'tha ratnebhyaḥ tad viddhi manujarṣabha.
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô meilleur des Bhṛgus ! Ils sont parés de couronnes, de bracelets de bras et de bien d’autres ornements faits d’or. C’est pourquoi, parmi tout ce qui est tenu pour pur, l’or est rappelé comme le purificateur suprême. Sache-le bien, ô taureau parmi les hommes : même comparé à la terre, aux vaches et aux gemmes—objets réputés saints—l’or est tenu pour le plus purifiant.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a traditional hierarchy of purity: gold (suvarṇa) is regarded as the supreme purifier, even when compared with highly revered purifying entities like earth, cows, and precious gems. In the ethical context of Anuśāsana Parva, this supports teachings on dāna (charitable gifting) and ritual propriety—gold is praised as especially auspicious and purifying when used rightly.
Bhishma, instructing as an authoritative elder, addresses a revered interlocutor (styled “best of the Bhṛgus”) and a “best of men,” describing beings adorned with gold ornaments and then drawing a doctrinal conclusion: gold is remembered in tradition as the highest purifier among sacred/pure things.