Shloka 22
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
धरण्या निष्क्रयं दत्त्वा तद्धिरण्यं युधिछिर:
dharaṇyā niṣkrayaṃ dattvā taddhiraṇyaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: Having paid the earth’s redemption-price, Yudhiṣṭhira then gave away that very gold—signaling that wealth acquired even for a solemn rite is to be purified through rightful giving and used for dharmic ends rather than personal possession.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth connected with royal power and ritual should be handled ethically: obligations are first discharged (payment/compensation), and what remains is best sanctified through generous, dharmic giving rather than hoarding.
In the Ashvamedha context, Yudhiṣṭhira pays a required compensation described as the earth’s ‘redemption-price’ and then donates that same gold onward, emphasizing public-spirited kingship and merit through giving.