Shloka 74
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
ससमुद्रगुहा तेन सशैलवनकानना । चतुरन्ता भवेद् दत्ता पृथिवी नात्र संशय:,उस गौके दानसे समुद्र, गुफा, पर्वत, वन और काननोंसहित चारों दिशाओंकी भूमिके दानका पुण्य प्राप्त होता है, इसमें संशय नहीं है
sa-samudra-guhā tena sa-śaila-vana-kānanā | caturantā bhaved dattā pṛthivī nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: ‘By that act, it is as though the entire earth—bounded by the four quarters and inclusive of oceans, caves, mountains, forests, and groves—has been given in charity. Of this there is no doubt.’
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A single righteous act of giving can carry merit comparable to the grandest imaginable donation—symbolically, the whole earth with all its natural features—emphasizing the ethical weight of intention and dharmic generosity.
Yudhiṣṭhira is affirming the magnitude of merit produced by a particular charitable act under discussion, declaring that it is equivalent to donating the entire world and that this conclusion is beyond doubt.