Shloka 8
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
कस्माद् दानं सुवर्णस्य पूजयन्ति मनीषिण: । कस्माच्च दक्षिणार्थ तद् यज्ञकर्मसु शस्यते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
kasmād dānaṁ suvarṇasya pūjayanti manīṣiṇaḥ |
kasmāc ca dakṣiṇārthaṁ tad yajñakarmasu śasyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Mengapa orang bijak memuliakan pemberian emas secara khusus? Dan mengapa dalam upacara yajña, emas dipuji sebagai dakṣiṇā yang tepat?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into dāna and ritual duty: it asks why gold is considered an especially meritorious gift and why it is recommended as dakṣiṇā in yajñas, inviting an explanation of value, purity, and social-religious function in dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira poses a question to an elder teacher (contextually Bhīṣma’s discourse) about the privileged status of gold in charity and sacrificial remuneration, setting up a didactic response on proper giving and ritual norms.