Shloka 1
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
बी जम अष्टनवतितमोब् ध्याय: तपस्वी सुवर्ण और मनुका संवाद--पुष्प
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ālokadānaṃ nāmaitat kīdṛśaṃ bharatarṣabha | katham etat samutpannaṃ phalaṃ vā tad bravīhi me ||
युधिष्ठिर उवाच—आलोकदानं नामैतत् कीदृशं भरतर्षभ? कथमेतत् समाचर्यते? कथं चैतत् समुत्पन्नं फलं वा तद् ब्रवीहि मे।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as something to be learned through inquiry: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a clear account of a charitable rite—its proper method, its origin, and its ethical-spiritual result—showing that merit (puṇya) is tied to informed, purposeful giving.
At the start of the chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an elder/teacher as “bharatarṣabha” and asks for instruction about ālokadāna (lamp-offering): what it is, how it is performed, how it began, and what benefits it yields, setting up a discourse on the greatness of offerings such as light (and, by the chapter heading, related gifts like flowers, incense, and food).