Shloka 973
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
शुद्धेन मनसा विप्र नाकपृष्ठं ततो गत: । “विप्रवर! कहते हैं, राजा रन्तिदेवके पास जब कुछ भी नहीं रह गया, तब उन्होंने शुद्ध हृदयसे केवल जलका दान किया था। इससे वे स्वर्गलोकमें गये थे
śuddhena manasā vipra nākapṛṣṭhaṃ tato gataḥ |
Ô brāhmaṇa éminent ! On raconte que, lorsque le roi Rantideva ne possédait plus rien, il donna en aumône de l’eau seulement, le cœur pur. Par cette sincérité du don, il atteignit le monde céleste.
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the moral worth of giving depends primarily on purity of intention: even a small gift (like water) offered with a clean heart can yield great spiritual merit and lead to heavenly attainment.
The speaker addresses a brāhmaṇa and states that the person in question, through a purified mind, attained the highest heaven—contextually explained as King Rantideva reaching heaven after donating water when he had nothing else left.