Shloka 167

Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa

Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results

Devanagari script

भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठि!! वसिष्ठजीके ऐसा कहनेपर प्रतापी परशुरामजीने ब्राह्मणोंको सुवर्णका दान किया। इससे वे सब पापोंसे छुटकारा पा गये ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca—yudhiṣṭhira! vasiṣṭhasyaivaṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā pratāpī paraśurāmo brāhmaṇebhyaḥ suvarṇaṃ dadau; tena te sarve pāpebhyaḥ pramucyanta. etat te sarvam ākhyātaṃ suvarṇasya mahīpate, pradānasya phalaṃ caiva janma cāsya yudhiṣṭhira.

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Yudhishthira! Setelah Vasiṣṭha berkata demikian, Parashurama yang perkasa mengurniakan emas kepada para Brahmana. Dengan pemberian itu mereka semua terlepas daripada segala dosa. Wahai raja, telah aku jelaskan kepadamu sepenuhnya asal-usul emas dan buah pahala pemberiannya—semuanya, wahai Yudhishthira.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'bhīṣma uvāca', 'definition': 'Bhishma said'}, {'term': 'yudhiṣṭhira', 'definition': 'Yudhishthira

• the righteous Pandava king addressed by Bhishma'}, {'term': 'vasiṣṭha', 'definition': 'Vasistha

• revered sage whose words prompt the act of charity'}, {'term': 'pratāpī', 'definition': 'mighty, valorous, possessed of splendor/energy'}, {'term': 'paraśurāma', 'definition': 'Parashurama

• warrior-sage (Rama with the axe), famed for austerity and martial prowess'}, {'term': 'brāhmaṇa', 'definition': 'Brahmin

• member of the priestly/learned class, recipient of the gift'}, {'term': 'suvarṇa', 'definition': 'gold

• here the object of donation and the topic of its origin and merit'}, {'term': 'pradāna', 'definition': 'giving, donation, charitable bestowal'}, {'term': 'phala', 'definition': 'fruit, result, merit (of an action)'}, {'term': 'pāpa', 'definition': 'sin, demerit, moral stain'}, {'term': 'pramucyante', 'definition': 'they are freed/released (from bondage or sin)'}, {'term': 'ākhyāta', 'definition': 'told, explained, narrated'}, {'term': 'mahīpate', 'definition': 'lord of the earth

• king (vocative)'}, {'term': 'janma', 'definition': 'birth, origin (here: origin of gold)'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira
• Vasistha
• Parashurama
• Brahmins
• Gold (Suvarṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the purifying power of dāna (charitable giving), especially the gift of gold to worthy recipients, and frames such generosity as a dharmic act that removes pāpa (moral demerit) and yields spiritual merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma concludes an explanation to King Yudhishthira: after hearing Vasistha’s counsel, Parashurama donates gold to Brahmins, through which they are freed from sins; Bhishma then states he has fully narrated both the origin of gold and the results of donating it.