Shloka 14
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Public Request for Consent to Enter the Forest (अनुज्ञा-प्रार्थना)
ग्रामाग्रहारद्वीपाब्यो मणिहेमजलार्णव: । जगत् सम्प्लावयामास धृतराष्ट्रोडुपोद्धत:
grāmāgrahāradvīpābhyo maṇihemajalārṇavaḥ | jagat samplāvayāmāsa dhṛtarāṣṭroḍupoddhataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Das ilhas formadas por aldeias e concessões de terras isentas de tributo (agrahāra), ergueu-se, por assim dizer, um oceano cujas águas eram gemas e ouro. Avultado pela “lua” que era Dhṛtarāṣṭra, esse oceano do dar encapelou-se e transbordou, inundando o mundo inteiro—sinal de que a sua vasta caridade, expressa em terras e riquezas, se espalhou por toda parte e alcançou todos os que entraram no seu alcance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates dāna (generosity) as a dharmic force that can ‘flood’ the world with benefit. By portraying gifts—especially land grants and wealth—as an ocean, it suggests that righteous giving, when vast and well-directed, becomes socially transformative and spiritually meritorious, even for a king burdened by past failings.
Vaiśampāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s great giving as a metaphorical ocean filled with gems and gold. Villages and agrahāras are likened to islands, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra is compared to the moon that raises the tide—indicating that his presence and resolve intensify the scale of the donations, which spread widely among recipients.