Shloka 2

Devanagari script

इमांस्तु श्रोतुमिच्छामि धर्मान्‌ धर्मभूतां वर । दानं कतिविध॑ देयं कि तस्य च फलं लभेत्‌,धर्मात्माओंमें श्रेष्ठ पितामह! अब मैं दानके सम्बन्धमें इन धर्मोंको सुनना चाहता हूँ कि दानके कितने भेद हैं? और जो दान दिया जाता है, उसका क्या फल मिलता है?

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | imāṁs tu śrotum icchāmi dharmān dharmabhūtāṁ vara | dānaṁ katividhaṁ deyaṁ kiṁ tasya ca phalaṁ labhet |

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai datuk, yang terbaik antara orang yang berpegang pada dharma! Aku ingin mendengar kewajipan-kewajipan ini yang sendiri merupakan wujud dharma. Dalam berapa cara sedekah (dāna) patut diberikan, dan apakah buah yang diperoleh daripada pemberian itu?”

Word by Word

इमान्these

तुbut/indeed

श्रोतुम्to hear

इच्छामिI desire

धर्मान्duties/laws (of dharma)

धर्मभूताम्which is of the nature of dharma

वरO excellent one

दानम्gift/charity

कतिhow many

विधम्kind/type

देयम्to be given/should be given

किम्what

तस्यof that (gift/act)

चand

फलम्fruit/result

लभेत्would obtain/should obtain

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames charity (dāna) as an essential expression of dharma and asks for a systematic account: the kinds of giving and the corresponding results (phala), implying that ethical giving is evaluated by its form and its moral-spiritual outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions Bhīṣma (the grandsire) to receive detailed guidance on the dharma of charity—its classifications and the benefits gained by the giver.