Shloka 11
धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Bala
ब्रह्मदेयाग्रहारांश्व॒ पुत्राणामौर्ध्वदेहिकम् । इतो रत्नानि गाश्चैव दासीदासमजाविकम्
brahmadeyāgrahārāṁś ca putrāṇām aurdhvadehikam | ito ratnāni gāś caiva dāsīdāsam ajāvikam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «(Il distribua) des dotations aux brahmanes et des villages agrahāra exempts d’impôt, et accomplit aussi les rites funéraires dus à ses fils. Puis il donna des joyaux, des vaches, ainsi que des servantes et des serviteurs, avec des chèvres et des moutons.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma through two linked duties: honoring the dead via aurdhvadehika rites and practicing dāna (charitable giving). It presents ethical kingship and household responsibility as expressed through ritual propriety and redistribution of wealth.
The narrator describes a sequence of acts: arrangements of Brahmin endowments and agrahāras, performance of the sons’ post-funeral rites, and subsequent gifting of valuables and livestock (and household dependents) as part of formal charity and settling of obligations.