Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अप्रतिग्राहके कि च फलं लोके पितामह । तस्य किं च फल दृष्टं श्रुतं यस्तु प्रयच्छति,पितामह! संसारमें जो प्रतिग्रह नहीं लेता, उसे क्या फल मिलता है? तथा जो वेदोंका ज्ञान प्रदान करता है, उसके लिये कौन-सा फल देखा गया है

Transliteration

apratigrāhake kiṁ phalaṁ loke pitāmaha | tasya kiṁ ca phalaṁ dṛṣṭaṁ śrutaṁ yastu prayacchati ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó Avô venerável, que recompensa neste mundo cabe àquele que não aceita dádivas (que não vive de receber)? E que recompensa—vista ou referida na tradição sagrada—pertence ao que dá, ao que concede (bens e conhecimento)?”

Word by Word

अप्रतिग्राहकेin/for one who does not accept gifts

किम्what

चand

फलम्fruit, result

लोकेin the world

पितामहO Grandfather (Bhishma)

तस्यof him/for him

किम्what

चand

फलम्fruit, result

दृष्टम्seen (as known/observed)

श्रुतम्heard (as known/traditionally heard)

यःwho

तुbut/indeed

प्रयच्छतिgives, bestows

पितामहO Grandfather

Speaker

युधिछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry into dharma: the spiritual and social consequences of two complementary disciplines—restraint in receiving (apratigraha) and generosity in giving (prayacchati). It invites reflection on purity, detachment, and merit as taught by experience (dṛṣṭa) and tradition (śruta).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha) about the rewards for one who refuses to accept gifts and for one who gives—seeking authoritative guidance on proper conduct and its results.