Shloka 16
Śāṇḍilī–Sumanā-saṃvāda: Sat-strī-samudācāra and Pati-dharma
Conduct of the Virtuous Wife
शुभं सर्वपवित्रेभ्यो दानमेव परं द्विज । नो चेत् सर्वपवित्रेभ्यो दानमेव परं भवेत्
śubhaṃ sarvapavitrebhyo dānam eva paraṃ dvija | no cet sarvapavitrebhyo dānam eva paraṃ bhavet |
Vyāsa berkata: “Wahai yang dua kali lahir, di antara segala hal yang dianggap suci dan membawa keberuntungan, dāna sajalah yang tertinggi. Seandainya dāna bukan yang paling utama di antara segala laku penyucian, niscaya ia tidak akan dipuji sedemikian luas dalam Veda dan śāstra.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dāna (charitable giving) is the highest among purifying and auspicious practices; its exceptional praise in Vedic and śāstric tradition is presented as evidence of its supreme ethical and spiritual value.
Vyāsa addresses a ‘dvija’ (a Brahmin interlocutor) and asserts a hierarchy of virtues: among all acts considered pure, giving stands foremost, and the scriptural tradition’s repeated commendation is cited to reinforce this claim.