Shloka 8
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
सुवर्णस्त्वब्रवीद् वाक््यं मनुं स्वायम्भुवं प्रति । हितार्थ सर्वभूतानां प्रश्न॑ मे वक्तुमहसि
suvarṇas tv abravīd vākyam manuṃ svāyambhuvaṃ prati | hitārthaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ praśnaṃ me vaktum arhasi ||
Bhishma berkata— Saat itu Suvarṇa berbicara kepada Manu Svayambhuva: “Demi kesejahteraan semua makhluk, engkau patut menjawab satu pertanyaanku. Apakah hakikat laku pemujaan para dewa dengan bunga ini? Bagaimana ia mula-mula menjadi kebiasaan? Buah (pahalanya) apakah yang diberikannya, dan apakah tujuan yang semestinya? Jelaskan semuanya kepadaku.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ritual inquiry as an ethical act: Suvarṇa asks Manu to explain the origin, purpose, and spiritual fruit of worshipping the gods with flowers, explicitly grounding the discussion in the welfare (hita) of all beings.
Within Bhishma’s discourse, a sub-narrative is introduced: Suvarṇa approaches Svayambhuva Manu and requests an authoritative explanation about the practice of floral offerings in divine worship—how it began, what benefits it yields, and how it should be used.