Shloka 1

Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna

Utility Gifts

Devanagari script

एकषष्टितमो< ध्याय: राजाके लिये यज्ञ

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—dānaṁ yajñaḥ kriyā ceha kiṁsvit pretya mahāphalam | kasya jyāyaḥ phalaṁ prokte kīdṛśebhyaḥ kathaṁ kadā ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນບັນດາທານ ແລະ ຍັດຍະ (ພິທີບູຊາ) ພ້ອມທັງການປະພຶດທາງທຳໃນໂລກນີ້—ສິ່ງໃດໃຫ້ຜົນອັນຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ຫຼັງຄວາມຕາຍ? ໃນສອງນັ້ນ ຜົນຂອງສິ່ງໃດຖືກກ່າວວ່າສູງກວ່າ? ຄວນໃຫ້ທານແກ່ພຣາຫມັນປະເພດໃດ ເມື່ອໃດ ແລະ ຢ່າງໃດ? ແລະ ຄວນປະກອບຍັດຍະແນວໃດ ເມື່ອໃດ? ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າປາຖະໜາຮູ້ຄວາມຈິງນີ້ໃຫ້ຖືກຕ້ອງ. ໂອ ຜູ້ຮູ້, ຂໍຈົ່ງອະທິບາຍທຳວ່າດ້ວຍການໃຫ້ທານແກ່ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໂດຍລະອຽດ».

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दानम्: gift; giving (charity)
• दानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यज्ञः: sacrifice; ritual
• यज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्रिया: religious act; rite; performance
• क्रिया: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• इह: here; in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• स्वित्: indeed? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वित्

• प्रेत्य: having departed; after death
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ
• Form: Gerund (Absolutive)

• महाफलम्: great-fruited; yielding great result
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाफल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कस्य: of which? of whom?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ज्यायः: greater; superior
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्यायस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• फलम्: fruit; result
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• प्रोक्तम्: said; declared
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच्
• Form: Past Passive Participle, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कीदृशेभ्यः: to what kind (of persons)?
• कीदृशेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative/Ablative, Plural

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• कदा: when?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇas
• Dāna (charity)
• Yajña (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: how to evaluate the spiritual efficacy of charity (dāna) versus sacrifice (yajña), and what proper criteria (recipient, time, manner) make these acts ethically and religiously fruitful, especially with regard to posthumous merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

At the opening of the chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches a learned authority (contextually Bhīṣma in the Anuśāsana Parva) and asks for a detailed exposition on the comparative merits of dāna and yajña and the correct rules for giving and performing rites.