Shloka 22
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
दीपालोक प्रदानेन चक्षुष्मान् भवते नर: । प्रेक्षणीयप्रदानेन स्मृतिं मेधां च विन्दति
dīpāloka-pradānena cakṣuṣmān bhavate naraḥ | prekṣaṇīya-pradānena smṛtiṁ medhāṁ ca vindati ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—मंदिरात दीपाचा प्रकाश दान केल्याने मनुष्याची दृष्टी निरोगी होते. आणि पाहण्यास योग्य, मनोहर वस्तू दान केल्याने स्मरणशक्ती व मेधा प्राप्त होते.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that specific charitable acts yield corresponding benefits: donating lamplight supports clear vision, and donating worthy, pleasing objects supports mental clarity—memory (smṛti) and intelligence (medhā). It promotes dāna as a practical dharmic discipline that nurtures both body and mind.
Vaiśampāyana is reciting a didactic passage in the Anuśāsana Parva that catalogs the fruits of different kinds of gifts. Here he highlights the merit and beneficial results of offering illumination and visually edifying items.