Shloka 30
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
हिरण्यरत्ननिचयानददं रत्नपर्वतान् । धनधान्यसमृद्धा श्च ग्रामाश्चान्ये सहस्रश:
Bhagīratha uvāca: hiraṇya-ratna-nicayān adadaṁ ratna-parvatān | dhana-dhānya-samṛddhāś ca grāmāś cānye sahasraśaḥ ||
ភគីរថៈបាននិយាយថា៖ «ខ្ញុំបានបរិច្ចាគគំនរមាស និងរតនៈ—ដល់ថ្នាក់ដូចជាភ្នំរតនៈ—ហើយក៏បានប្រគល់ភូមិរាប់ពាន់ៗ ដែលសម្បូរទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ និងស្រូវអង្ករ។ ប៉ុន្តែ មិនមែនដោយបុណ្យនៃទានទាំងនោះទេ ដែលខ្ញុំបានមកដល់ស្ថានភាពនេះ»។
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even immense acts of charity—gold, jewels, and prosperous villages—do not automatically guarantee the highest spiritual outcome; merit from giving has limits unless aligned with deeper dharma, inner purity, and the right ultimate aim.
Bhagīratha recounts the scale of his donations—vast treasures and thousands of prosperous villages—then emphasizes that his present attainment (or arrival in a particular state) is not due merely to the merit of those gifts, preparing the listener for a subtler explanation of true causality and dharma.