Shloka 104
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
नचाश्वमेधैर्बहुभि: फलं सममिदं तव । सक्तुप्रस्थेन विजितो ब्रह्मलोकस्त्वयाक्षय:
na cāśvamedhair bahubhiḥ phalaṃ samam idaṃ tava | saktuprasthena vijito brahmalokas tvayākṣayaḥ ||
Le beau-père dit : «Le mérite que tu as acquis par cet acte de don ne saurait être égalé, fût-ce en accomplissant de nombreux sacrifices Aśvamedha. En offrant seulement une mesure prastha de saktu—farine d’orge grillée—tu as gagné pour toi le monde impérissable de Brahmā. Cela montre que la valeur morale d’un don ne tient pas à sa grandeur, mais à la sincérité, au dénuement et à la maîtrise de soi du donateur.»
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the moral and spiritual value of charity depends primarily on intention, sacrifice, and the giver’s circumstances—not on the external scale of the offering. A modest gift given with genuine self-denial can yield greater merit than grand rituals performed with wealth and display.
A father-in-law addresses the giver and praises the extraordinary fruit of a simple donation—only a prastha of saktu—declaring it superior to the merit of many Aśvamedha sacrifices. He concludes that this act has secured the giver an imperishable attainment, Brahmaloka.