Shloka 256
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
वरं ग्रामशतं चाहमेकैकस्य त्रिधाददम् । उस यज्ञमें मैंने प्रत्येक ब्राह्मणको तीन-तीन बार सोनेके सैकड़ों आभूषणोंसे विभूषित दो-दो हजार घोड़े और एक-एक सौ अच्छे गाँव दिये थे
varaṁ grāmaśataṁ cāham ekaikasya tridhādadam |
Bhagīratha berkata: “Dan kepada setiap penerima aku kurniakan anugerah seratus buah kampung, aku berikan tiga kali lipat—agar pemberianku dalam korban suci itu melimpah dan diteguhkan berulang-ulang.”
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal of dāna: a ruler’s wealth and authority are ethically validated when used for generous, orderly giving—especially in the context of yajña—so that prosperity becomes a means of public good and religious merit rather than mere possession.
Bhagīratha is recounting the scale and manner of his sacrificial donations, emphasizing that he granted substantial endowments—‘a hundred villages’—to each recipient, and that he did so ‘threefold,’ underscoring repeated or multi-mode generosity within the sacrificial setting.