Shloka 11
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Public Request for Consent to Enter the Forest (अनुज्ञा-प्रार्थना)
एवं स वसुधाराभिरर्वर्षमाणो नृपाम्बुद: । तर्पयामास विद्रांस्तान् वर्षन् सस्यमिवाम्बुद:
evaṁ sa vasudhārābhir avarṣamāṇo nṛpāmbudaḥ | tarpayāmāsa viprāṁs tān varṣan sasyam ivāmbudaḥ ||
Assim, aquele rei —como uma nuvem de chuva— derramou correntes de riqueza e, com essa “chuva”, saciou aqueles brāhmaṇas, tal como a nuvem, ao chover, nutre e revigora as plantações.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises dāna as a royal duty: a righteous king should distribute wealth so that the learned and needy are sustained, just as timely rain sustains agriculture. Generosity is portrayed as life-giving and socially stabilizing.
Vaiśampāyana describes the king (contextually Dhṛtarāṣṭra) giving abundant gifts—likened to rainfall—thereby satisfying the assembled brāhmaṇas, who are compared to crops nourished by a cloud.