Shloka 12
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
सुवर्णचन्द्रोत्तम धारिणीनां कन्योत्तमानामददं सहस्रम् । षष्टिं सहस्राणि विभूषितानां जाम्बूनदैराभरणैर्न तेन
suvarṇacandrottama-dhāriṇīnāṃ kanyottamānām adadaṃ sahasram | ṣaṣṭiṃ sahasrāṇi vibhūṣitānāṃ jāmbūnadair ābharaṇair na tena ||
バギーラタは言った。「私は最上の乙女を千人施し、妙なる黄金の“月”のごとき飾りを帯びさせた。さらにジャームブーナダ金の宝飾で荘厳した者を六万人も与えた。だがそれでも、私は満足（あるいは所期の果）に至らなかった。」
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that sheer magnitude of giving—lavish gifts, vast numbers, and costly ornaments—does not automatically fulfill one’s moral or spiritual aim; intention, propriety, and the right context of dāna matter as much as (or more than) quantity.
Bhagīratha speaks of having made extraordinarily large gifts—thousands of excellent maidens and tens of thousands adorned with gold jewelry—yet he states that even such grand generosity did not achieve the desired result, implying a reflection on the limits of ostentatious giving and the need for right dharmic alignment.