Shloka 1
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
न्ीप्ज््ल््िसस ' बे । नत२स्प्स्स्न्िपनासज्स अष्टषष्टितमो< ध्याय: तिल
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: Tilānāṁ kīdṛśaṁ dānam atha dīpasya caiva hi | Annānāṁ vāsasāṁ caiva bhūya eva bravīhi me ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek Agung, bagaimana hakikat dan buah sejati dari sedekah wijen? Dan demikian pula sedekah pelita. Jelaskan lagi kepadaku, dengan lebih luas, kemuliaan memberi makanan dan pakaian.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dāna as a central dharma and asks specifically about the ethical and spiritual efficacy (fruit) of giving essentials—sesame, light, food, and clothing—implying that charity is evaluated by both substance and purpose: sustaining life (food, clothing) and dispelling darkness (lamp), alongside ritual-ethical gifts (sesame).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (the Grandsire) and requests a fuller explanation of the merits and significance of particular forms of charity—tiladāna, dīpadāna, annadāna, and vāsodāna—setting up Bhīṣma’s ensuing discourse.