Shloka 161
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्निमित्येव तत् प्राहु: प्रदानं च सुखावहम् । यथेष्टगुणसंवृत्तं प्रवर्तकमिति स्मृतम्
agnim ity eva tat prāhuḥ pradānaṃ ca sukhāvaham | yatheṣṭa-guṇa-saṃvṛttaṃ pravartakam iti smṛtam ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : « Ce don est véritablement appelé “Agni” (le Feu), et son offrande apporte le bonheur. On se souvient de lui comme de ce qui, pourvu des vertus que l’on souhaite, met en mouvement la générosité—éveillant le désir de donner et produisant mérite et bonne renommée selon l’intention. »
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity (pradāna/dāna) is praised as ‘Agni’—a sacred, energizing force. Giving brings happiness and is said to kindle further generosity, producing merit and good results in accordance with one’s intention and cultivated virtues.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vasiṣṭha speaks as a teacher, defining the spiritual power of giving. He frames donation as a fire-like principle that activates the impulse to give and yields auspicious outcomes.