Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 35
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
गन्धेन देवास्तुष्यन्ति दर्शनाद् यक्षराक्षसा: । नागा: समुपभोगेन त्रिभिरेतैस्तु मानुषा:
gandhena devās tuṣyanti darśanād yakṣarākṣasāḥ | nāgāḥ samupabhogena tribhir etais tu mānuṣāḥ ||
देवता पुष्पों की सुगन्ध से, यक्ष-राक्षस उनके दर्शन से, नागगण उनके सम्यक् उपभोग से; और मनुष्य इन तीनों—दर्शन, गन्ध तथा उपभोग—से तृप्त होते हैं।
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Different orders of beings are characterized by different modes of satisfaction: gods by fragrance, Yakṣas/Rākṣasas by sight, Nāgas by enjoyment, while humans typically seek a composite satisfaction through multiple sensory avenues—seeing, smelling, and enjoying—highlighting the breadth (and potential restlessness) of human desire.
Śukra is explaining, in a didactic context, how various beings respond to offerings or objects of pleasure. The statement functions as a comparative observation about the psychology and sensory orientation of different classes of beings, with a pointed remark about human tendencies.