Shloka 37
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
जीवन्तं त्वानुजीवन्तु प्रजा: सर्वा युधिष्ठिर । पर्जन्यमिव भूतानि महाद्रुममिवाण्डजा:
jīvantaṃ tvānujīvantu prajāḥ sarvā yudhiṣṭhira | parjanyam iva bhūtāni mahādrumam ivāṇḍajāḥ ||
हे युधिष्ठिर! तू जिवंत असताना सर्व प्रजा तुझ्या जीवनावर जीवन धरो व तुझ्याबरोबर समृद्ध होवो. जसे प्राणी पर्जन्यावर आणि पक्षी महान वृक्षावर अवलंबून असतात, तसे ते तुझ्यावर अवलंबून राहोत.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma is to sustain and protect the people so thoroughly that their livelihood and security naturally depend on him—like all beings relying on rain and birds relying on a great tree. The verse frames rulership as responsibility and nourishment, not mere power.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance. Here he offers a benediction and a vivid simile, expressing that Yudhiṣṭhira’s continued life and just rule should enable the prosperity of all subjects.