Shloka 2
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
कथं चैतत् समुत्पन्नं किमर्थ चैव दीयते । न केवल श्राद्धकृत्ये पुण्यकेष्वपि दीयते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ caitat samutpannaṃ kimarthaṃ caiva dīyate | na kevalaṃ śrāddhakṛtye puṇyakeṣv api dīyate |
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Comment cette pratique est-elle née, et dans quel but la donne-t-on ? Car elle n’est pas offerte seulement dans les rites de śrāddha pour les défunts ; on la donne aussi en bien d’autres occasions méritoires.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dāna as a dharmic institution whose value extends beyond funerary obligations: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the rationale and origin of giving, implying that charity is a general means of generating puṇya and sustaining social-religious order, not merely a rite-bound act for ancestors.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks an elder teacher to explain how the relevant gift/practice began and why it is prescribed, noting that it is performed not only during śrāddha but also during other auspicious, merit-producing observances.