Shloka 49
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
जगत सर्व च निर्मथ्य तेजोराशि: समुत्थित: । सुवर्णमे भ्यो विप्रर्षे रत्नं परममुत्तमम्
jagat sarvaṃ ca nirmathya tejorāśiḥ samutthitaḥ | suvarṇam ebhyo viprarṣe ratnaṃ paramam uttamam ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—“साऱ्या जगताचे जणू मंथन केल्यावर जी तेजाची राशि प्रकट झाली, तेच सुवर्ण होय. म्हणून, हे श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणा, हे परम व उत्तम रत्न आहे.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gold is presented as the foremost ‘ratna’ because it embodies concentrated tejas (radiant potency). The verse frames material value in ethical-cosmic terms: what is most esteemed is that which symbolizes purity, brilliance, and auspicious power, often linked with righteous giving and ritual propriety.
Bhishma is instructing a Brahmin sage within Anushasana Parva’s didactic discourse. In the context of describing precious substances and their excellence, he explains gold’s supremacy through a metaphor of cosmic churning, from which a radiant essence emerges—identified as gold.