Shloka 21
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
कुन्तीनन्दन! उन्हें युद्धके लिये तैयार देख सूर्यदेव ब्राह्मणका रूप धारण करके उनके पास आये और बोले--'ब्रह्मन! सूर्यने आपका क्या अपराध किया है? ।।
kuntīnandana! tān yuddhāya sajjān dṛṣṭvā sūryadevo brāhmaṇarūpaṃ dhṛtvā teṣāṃ samīpam āgacchat, uvāca ca— “brāhman! sūryeṇa te kim aparāddham? ādattē raśmibhiḥ sūryo divi tiṣṭhaṃs tataḥ tataḥ; rasaṃ dṛtaṃ vai varṣāsu pravarṣati divākaraḥ.”
Wahai putra Kunti! Melihatnya siap untuk berperang, Dewa Surya mengambil rupa seorang brahmana dan mendekat seraya berkata: “Wahai brahmana, kesalahan apakah yang telah dilakukan Surya terhadapmu? Bersemayam di langit, Sang Savitri menyerap sari kelembapan bumi dengan sinar-sinarnya, dan pada musim hujan Sang Pembuat Siang menurunkan kembali sari itu sebagai hujan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral logic of reciprocity and beneficence: the Sun ‘takes’ moisture only to return it as rain, sustaining the world. Therefore, judging or opposing such a benefactor is ethically questionable; one should discern the larger dharmic cycle behind apparent ‘taking.’
Bhīṣma narrates that, when the warriors were ready for battle, Sūrya approached them disguised as a brāhmaṇa and questioned why they regarded the Sun as an offender, explaining the Sun’s life-sustaining role in drawing up the earth’s moisture and raining it back in due season.