Shloka 58

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

तपस्विनस्तपोनिष्ठास्तेषां भैक्षचराश्न ये । अर्थिन: किज्चिदिच्छन्ति तेषु दत्त महाफलम्‌

Transliteration

tapasvinaḥ taponiṣṭhās teṣāṃ bhaikṣacarāśn ye | arthinaḥ kiñcid icchanti teṣu dattaṃ mahāphalam ||

Translation

തപസ്സിൽ സ്ഥിരരായ തപസ്വികൾ, തപസ്വികളുടെ ഹിതത്തിനായി മാത്രം ഭിക്ഷയാൽ ജീവിക്കുന്നവർ—അത്തരം യാചകർ അല്പമെങ്കിലും അപേക്ഷിച്ചാൽ, അവർക്കു നൽകിയ ദാനം മഹാഫലദായകമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तपस्विनः: ascetics
• तपस्विनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तपोनिष्ठाः: steadfast in austerity
• तपोनिष्ठाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपोनिष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तेषाम्: for them / of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• भैक्षचराः: those who live by alms
• भैक्षचराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्षचर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अस्न: are
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (अस्मि)
• Form: Present, 3rd, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अर्थिनः: petitioners / seekers
• अर्थिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• किञ्चित्: something
• किञ्चित्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किञ्चित्
• Form: true

• इच्छन्ति: desire / ask for
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (इच्छ)
• Form: Present, 3rd, Plural

• तेषु: in/among them (i.e., to such persons)
• तेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• दत्तम्: given (gift)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (दत्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महाफलम्: of great fruit / highly rewarding
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाफल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Charity becomes especially meritorious when given to recipients of proven discipline and purity—ascetics established in tapas and living rightly (by alms). Dharma includes discerning whom to support, not only the act of giving.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially dāna-dharma) during the Anuśāsana Parva, he explains to the listener that gifts offered to genuine ascetics who request modestly yield great spiritual reward.