Shloka 3
Brahmapūjā-kāraṇa-prśnaḥ and Keśava–Viṣvaksena-stuti
Question on Brahmin veneration; hymn on Kṛṣṇa as cosmic order
कथं केभ्यश्न धर्म्य च दानं दातव्यमिष्यते । कै: कारणै: कतिविध॑ श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṁ kebhyaś ca dharmyaṁ ca dānaṁ dātavyam iṣyate | kaiḥ kāraṇaiḥ kati-vidhaṁ śrotum icchāmi tattvataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Como, e a quem, é considerado adequado dar de modo justo segundo o dharma? Por quais razões se deve dar? E em quantas espécies se classifica a caridade? Desejo ouvir tudo isso em sua forma verdadeira e exata.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames charity (dāna) as a dharmic discipline requiring discernment: one must know the proper recipients, the proper manner of giving, the right motives, and the recognized classifications of gifts.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking clarity on righteous conduct, asks an authoritative elder/teacher to explain the principles of charity—who deserves gifts, how gifts should be given, why one should give, and the different kinds of dāna.