Shloka 52
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
हिरण्यदा: सुखं यान्ति पुरुषास्त्वभ्यलंकृता: । भूमिदास्तु सुखं यान्ति सर्वे: कामै: सुतर्पिता:,सुवर्णका दान करनेवाले मनुष्य उस मार्गपर नाना प्रकारके आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो बड़े सुखसे यात्रा करते हैं। भूमिका दान करनेवाले दाता सम्पूर्ण मनोवाजञ्छित भोगोंसे तृप्त हो वहाँ बड़े आनन्दसे जाते हैं
hiraṇyadāḥ sukhaṃ yānti puruṣāstv abhyalaṅkṛtāḥ | bhūmidāstu sukhaṃ yānti sarvaiḥ kāmaiḥ sutarpitāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Those men who give gold proceed happily on that path, adorned with many ornaments. But those who give land go happily as well, fully satisfied with every desired enjoyment—having attained complete fulfillment through the fruits of their generosity.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that charitable giving (dāna) yields auspicious results: donating gold brings a pleasant post-mortem passage marked by honor and adornment, while donating land is portrayed as even more fulfilling, granting comprehensive satisfaction of desires—highlighting the superior merit traditionally associated with bhūmi-dāna.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a discourse describing the fruits of different kinds of gifts. He contrasts the outcomes for donors of gold and donors of land, depicting their happy onward journey and the rewards they experience as a consequence of their generosity.