Shloka 4
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
अप्रतिग्राहके कि च फलं लोके पितामह । तस्य किं च फल दृष्टं श्रुतं यस्तु प्रयच्छति
apratigrāhake kiṁ phalaṁ loke pitāmaha | tasya kiṁ ca phalaṁ dṛṣṭaṁ śrutaṁ yastu prayacchati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek Agung, ganjaran apakah di dunia ini bagi orang yang tidak menerima pemberian (tidak hidup dari menerima)? Dan bagi orang yang memberi—yang buahnya telah terlihat atau disebut dalam tradisi suci—buah apakah yang diperolehnya?”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into dharma: the spiritual and social consequences of two complementary disciplines—restraint in receiving (apratigraha) and generosity in giving (prayacchati). It invites reflection on purity, detachment, and merit as taught by experience (dṛṣṭa) and tradition (śruta).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha) about the rewards for one who refuses to accept gifts and for one who gives—seeking authoritative guidance on proper conduct and its results.