Shloka 53
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
गिरिप्रपाते गहने चैत्यस्थाने चतुष्पथे । (गोब्राह्मणालये दुर्गे दीपो भूतिप्रद: शुचि: ।) दीपदानं भवेन्नित्यं य इच्छेद् भूतिमात्मन:
giriprapāte gahane caityasthāne catuṣpathe | gobrāhmaṇālaye durge dīpo bhūtipradaḥ śuciḥ | dīpadānaṃ bhaven nityaṃ ya icched bhūtim ātmanaḥ ||
シュクラは言った。「山の峠において、人気なく危うい場所において、聖所において、また辻において——さらに牛舎やバラモンの家、そして城砦の内においても——福祉をもたらす清浄なる灯火をともして保つべきである。自らの繁栄を願う者は、灯明の供養を日々の行として怠ってはならぬ。」
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that offering or maintaining a pure lamp (dīpadāna) in key communal and sacred locations is a daily dharmic act that promotes auspicious welfare and personal prosperity; it links personal well-being with sustaining light, safety, and sanctity in shared spaces.
Śukra is giving prescriptive instruction about meritorious conduct, listing specific places—dangerous paths, secluded areas, shrines, crossroads, and protected dharmic sites like cowsheds and Brahmin dwellings—where keeping or offering a lamp is recommended as a regular practice for one who seeks prosperity.