Shloka 5
अश्वमेध-उपदेशः तथा मरुत्त-यज्ञ-धन-प्रसङ्गः
Counsel on Aśvamedha and the Marutta-treasure episode
यज्ञेन तपसा चैव दानेन च नराधिप । पूयन्ते नरशार्दूल नरा दुष्कृतकारिण:,नरेश्वर! पुरुषसिंह! पापाचारी मनुष्य यज्ञ, दान और तपस्यासे ही पवित्र होते हैं
yajñena tapasā caiva dānena ca narādhipa | pūyante naraśārdūla narā duṣkṛtakāriṇaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O king, O tiger among men: even those people who have committed wrongful deeds become purified through sacrifice, austerity, and charitable giving.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral and spiritual purification is possible even for wrongdoers through three classical means of dharmic renewal: yajña (sacrificial worship), tapas (self-discipline/austerity), and dāna (charity). The verse emphasizes reform and cleansing rather than permanent condemnation.
Vyāsa addresses a king with honorific epithets and instructs him on how people stained by misconduct can become purified, framing yajña, tapas, and dāna as practical instruments for restoring dharma.