Shloka 30
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
धृतराष्ट उवाच ये दानशीला न प्रतिगृह्नते सदा नचाप्यर्थाक्षाददते परेभ्य: | येषामदेयमर्हते नास्ति किंचित् सर्वातिथ्या: सुप्रसादा जनाश्व
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ye dānaśīlā na pratigṛhṇate sadā na cāpy arthākṣād adate parebhyaḥ | yeṣām adeyam arhate nāsti kiñcit sarvātithyāḥ suprasādā janāś ca ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai resi agung! Mereka yang tekun memberi derma namun tak pernah menerima pemberian; yang tidak merampas harta orang lain dengan paksaan atau tekanan; yang, bila ada penerima yang layak, tidak menganggap sesuatu pun sebagai ‘tak boleh diberikan’; yang memuliakan setiap tamu dan berwelas asih kepada semua—mereka, para mahātma yang senantiasa menjadi ‘annasatra’ hidup, sumber santapan dan kebajikan bagi khalayak, mencapai dunia Soma. Namun bagi Dhṛtarāṣṭra, bahkan alam itu pun takkan tergapai.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises a dharmic ideal: give consistently, do not accept gifts for oneself, do not seize others’ wealth, and treat every person as a guest with kindness. Such conduct generates puṇya leading to heavenly attainment (Somaloka), while moral failure can bar one even from that reward.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a great sage and reflects on the destiny of the truly charitable and hospitable. In the surrounding discourse of Anuśāsana Parva, this functions as an ethical evaluation of conduct and its posthumous results, with Dhṛtarāṣṭra implicitly contrasting himself with the praised ideal.