Shloka 74
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
ससमुद्रगुहा तेन सशैलवनकानना । चतुरन्ता भवेद् दत्ता पृथिवी नात्र संशय:,उस गौके दानसे समुद्र, गुफा, पर्वत, वन और काननोंसहित चारों दिशाओंकी भूमिके दानका पुण्य प्राप्त होता है, इसमें संशय नहीं है
sa-samudra-guhā tena sa-śaila-vana-kānanā | caturantā bhaved dattā pṛthivī nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira bersabda: “Dengan perbuatan itu, seolah-olah seluruh bumi—berbatas empat penjuru, termasuk lautan, gua, gunung-ganang, rimba dan belukar—telah didermakan. Tiada keraguan tentang hal ini.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A single righteous act of giving can carry merit comparable to the grandest imaginable donation—symbolically, the whole earth with all its natural features—emphasizing the ethical weight of intention and dharmic generosity.
Yudhiṣṭhira is affirming the magnitude of merit produced by a particular charitable act under discussion, declaring that it is equivalent to donating the entire world and that this conclusion is beyond doubt.