Shloka 303
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
सुवर्णानां शतं तेन दत्त भवति शाश्वतम् । जो उत्तम वर्णवाले विशुद्ध ब्राह्मणको सुवर्ण-दान करता है उसे निरन्तर सौ स्वर्णमुद्राओंके दानका फल प्राप्त होता है
suvarṇānāṃ śataṃ tena dattaṃ bhavati śāśvatam |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: By that act, a gift becomes everlasting—one who donates gold to a pure Brāhmaṇa of excellent qualities gains the enduring merit equivalent to the continual donation of a hundred gold coins. The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethic that the worth of dāna depends on the giver’s intention and the recipient’s purity and fitness, making charity a stable support of dharma.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity (dāna), when offered to a worthy and pure recipient with proper intent, yields enduring merit; the verse highlights that the ethical quality of giving and the fitness of the recipient amplify the spiritual fruit.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing his listeners on the fruits of righteous giving, stating that donating gold to a pure, exemplary Brāhmaṇa grants lasting merit comparable to repeatedly giving a hundred gold coins.