Shloka 25
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
तेन दत्तानि दानानि पापेनाशुद्धबुद्धिना । तानि सर्वाण्यनादृत्य नश्यन्ति विपुलान्यपि,उस जशुद्ध बुद्धिवाले पापी पुरुषके दिये हुए दान कितने ही अधिक क्यों न हों, वे सब- के-सब अनाहत होकर नष्ट हो जाते हैं
tena dattāni dānāni pāpenāśuddha-buddhinā | tāni sarvāṇy anādṛtya naśyanti vipulāny api ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Even when gifts are given in great abundance, if they come from a sinful person whose understanding is impure, those donations are not accepted with honor and ultimately come to nothing.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity is evaluated not only by quantity but by the giver’s moral state and intention. Gifts offered from sinful conduct and impure motivation lose their merit—socially and spiritually—because they are not truly ‘honored’ as dharmic giving.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a moral observation within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s instructional context: he explains that even large donations can become ineffective when the donor is morally tainted and inwardly impure, emphasizing inner purity as essential to righteous acts.