Shloka 20
Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage
वज्ान् महाधनांश्वैव वैदूर्याजिनराड्कवान् । रत्नराशीन् विनिक्षिप्य दक्षिणार्थे स भारत
vajrān mahādhanāṁś caiva vaidūryājinaraṅkavān | ratnarāśīn vinikṣipya dakṣiṇārthe sa bhārata ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Bhārata, après avoir mis de côté des monceaux de joyaux comme dakṣiṇā—don sacerdotal—comprenant des diamants, de grandes richesses, des gemmes de vaidūrya et même des peaux précieuses, il ordonna ces biens afin qu’ils fussent distribués. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth becomes dharmic when it is used with reverence and restraint—especially in honoring worthy recipients after hospitality or ritual. The verse frames dakṣiṇā not as display, but as a duty that completes righteous giving.
Bhīṣma narrates an episode where a powerful giver sets out heaps of precious items—diamonds, gems like vaidūrya, and valuable hides—explicitly for dakṣiṇā, i.e., gifts meant for honored Brāhmaṇas after being hosted.