Shloka 11
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
यावत: साधुधर्मान् वै सन्त: संवर्धयन्त्युत । सर्वस्वैश्वापि भर्तव्या नरा ये बहुकारिण:
yāvataḥ sādhudharmān vai santaḥ saṃvardhayanty uta | sarvasvaiś cāpi bhartavyā narā ye bahukāriṇaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「徳ある人々が正しきダルマの諸相を守り、さらに育て広めているかぎり、そのような者—王と国土に大いなる益をもたらす者—は、たとえ全財産を費やすことになろうとも扶養し、養い守るべきである。彼らを養うことは施しではなく義務である。なぜなら、その存在そのものが世の道徳と秩序を強めるからだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (and society) must materially support those virtuous people who actively promote and expand righteous conduct; even great expense is justified because their work sustains dharma and benefits the kingdom.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous governance and conduct. Here he emphasizes the king’s obligation to maintain and honor beneficent, dharma-promoting persons, treating their support as a state duty tied to moral order.