Shloka 24
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
यज्ञियानां च वृक्षाणामयज्ञीयान् निबोध मे । आसुराणि च माल्यानि दैवतेभ्यो हितानि च
yajñiyānāṁ ca vṛkṣāṇām ayajñīyān nibodha me | āsurāṇi ca mālyāni daivatebhyo hitāni ca
Śukra berkata: “Pelajarilah dariku pohon-pohon mana yang layak dipakai dalam upacara yajña dan mana yang tidak layak. Pahamilah pula karangan bunga mana yang dianggap bersifat āsuric, dan mana yang baik serta pantas dipersembahkan kepada para dewa.”
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śukra emphasizes discernment in ritual practice: not all natural items are equally appropriate for sacred use. Dharma in worship includes choosing materials that are considered pure, beneficial, and fitting for the deities, while avoiding those regarded as ritually improper or ‘āsuric’ in disposition.
Śukra is instructing his listener in practical religious conduct. He introduces a classification: (1) trees suitable or unsuitable for sacrificial rites, and (2) garlands that are inappropriate (‘āsuric’) versus those that are beneficial and proper for divine offerings.