Shloka 48

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच पित्र्यं वाप्यथवा दैवं दीयते यत्‌ पितामह । एतदिच्छाम्यहं ज्ञातुं दत्त केषु महाफलम्‌

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

pitryaṃ vāpy athavā daivaṃ dīyate yat pitāmaha |

etad icchāmy ahaṃ jñātuṃ datta keṣu mahāphalam ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai datuk, sama ada sedekah itu dipersembahkan dalam upacara untuk leluhur ataupun sebagai persembahan kepada para dewa, aku ingin mengetahui: apabila diberikan kepada penerima yang bagaimana, derma itu menghasilkan buah pahala yang paling agung?”

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'pitryam': 'pertaining to the ancestors

• ancestral rite (śrāddha context)', 'vā api / vā': 'or

• alternatively', 'athavā': 'or else', 'daivam': 'pertaining to the gods

• divine rite/oblation', 'dīyate': 'is given

• is offered (passive)', 'yat': 'which

• that which', 'pitāmaha': 'grandfather (address to Bhīṣma)', 'etat': 'this (matter)', 'icchāmi': 'I wish

• I desire', 'aham': 'I', 'jñātum': 'to know', 'dattam': 'a gift given

• charity bestowed', 'keṣu': 'to whom? among which persons?', 'mahāphalam': 'great fruit

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)
• pitṛs (ancestors, implied by pitryam)
• devas (gods, implied by daivam)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dāna-dharma: the spiritual efficacy of gifts in ancestral and divine rites depends not only on the act of giving but also on the worthiness and qualities of the recipient (pātratā), prompting a discussion of how merit is maximized through discerning charity.

What is happening in the narrative?

During Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions him about ritual giving—whether in śrāddha for ancestors or offerings connected with the gods—and asks which kinds of recipients make such gifts yield the greatest result.