Shloka 73

Devanagari script

प्रतिपर्वसमाप्तौ तु पुस्तकं वै विचक्षण: । सुवर्णेन च संयुक्त वाचकाय निवेदयेत्‌,पृथ्वीनाथ! यदि श्रोता दरिद्र हो तो उसे भी आधी दक्षिणाके साथ गोदान अवश्य करना चाहिये। प्रत्येक पर्वकी समाप्तिपर विद्वान्‌ पुरुष सुवर्णसहित पुस्तक वाचकको समर्पित करे

Transliteration

pratiparvasamāptau tu pustakaṃ vai vicakṣaṇaḥ | suvarṇena ca saṃyuktaṃ vācakāya nivedayet, pṛthvīnātha |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “At the conclusion of each section (parvan), a discerning person should present the book—together with gold—to the reciter. O lord of the earth, even if the listener is poor, one should still certainly perform the gift of a cow, along with half the customary honorarium. Thus, at the end of every parvan, the learned should formally hand over the book, accompanied by gold, to the one who reads it aloud.”

Word by Word

• {'prati-parva-samāpti': 'the completion of each parvan/section', 'tu': 'indeed

• then', 'pustaka': 'book

• manuscript (the text being recited)', 'vai': 'certainly

• indeed (emphatic particle)', 'vicakṣaṇaḥ': 'discerning

• judicious person', 'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'saṃyukta': 'joined with

• accompanied by', 'vācaka': 'reciter

• one who publicly reads/recites', 'nivedayet': 'should present

• should hand over', 'pṛthvīnātha': 'lord of the earth

• king (vocative address)', 'śrotā': 'listener

• audience member', 'daridra': 'poor

• indigent', 'dakṣiṇā': 'honorarium/fee given to officiant or reciter

• ritual gratuity', 'go-dāna': 'gift of a cow (a meritorious donation)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• pṛthvīnātha (the king addressed)
• pustaka (book/manuscript)
• suvarṇa (gold)
• vācaka (reciter/reader)
• śrotā (listener)
• go (cow, as donation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the dharma of supporting sacred recitation and learning through appropriate gifts: at each parvan’s completion one should honor the reciter with the text and gold, and even when resources are limited, one should still perform meritorious giving (such as go-dāna) with a reduced but sincere dakṣiṇā.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing customary observances connected with hearing/reciting the Mahābhārata: the patron or listener marks each parvan’s end by formally offering gifts—especially the manuscript and gold—to the vācaka, emphasizing respectful patronage of the transmission of the epic.