Shloka 4
Adhyāya 57: Tapas–Dāna Phala
On the Fruits of Austerity and Giving
चित्रशालाक्ष विविधास्तोरणानि च भारत । शाद्वलोपचितां भूमिं तथा काञ्चनकुट्टिमाम्
citraśālā-kṣāḥ vividhās toraṇāni ca bhārata | śādvalopacitāṃ bhūmiṃ tathā kāñcana-kuṭṭimām ||
भीष्म बोले—हे भारत! वहाँ अनेक प्रकार की सुशोभित चित्रशालाएँ और तोरण थे; भूमि कहीं हरे-भरे शाद्वल से आच्छादित थी और कहीं स्वर्ण-मंडित पक्के फर्श से।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse supports a dharmic ideal of orderly, auspicious preparation for a righteous royal or ritual context: prosperity and beauty are presented as appropriate when aligned with duty and proper conduct, not as mere indulgence.
Bhīṣma is describing a richly prepared setting—ornamented halls and ceremonial gateways, with the ground laid with turf and golden paving—evoking the grandeur and auspicious arrangement of a royal/ritual venue while instructing Yudhiṣṭhira.