Shloka 16
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
वाजिनां बाह्विजातानामयुतान्यददं दश । कर्काणां हेममालानां न च तेनाहमागत:
vājīnāṃ bāhvijātānām ayutāny adadaṃ daśa | karkāṇāṃ hemamālānāṃ na ca tenāham āgataḥ ||
バギーラタは言った。「私は最上の血統の馬を一万頭施し、黄金の花鬘も惜しみなく与えた。だが、それらの施与によっても、私の求めた目的には到達できなかった。」
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material generosity, even on a vast scale, does not automatically yield the highest spiritual or ethical attainment; the desired end depends on inner disposition, right intention, and the appropriate dharmic means—not merely the quantity of gifts.
Bhagīratha reflects on his own acts of giving—donating large numbers of fine horses and golden garlands—and admits that these offerings did not bring him to the attainment he was aiming for, setting up a discussion on what truly leads to fulfillment or merit.