Shloka 49
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
जगत सर्व च निर्मथ्य तेजोराशि: समुत्थित: । सुवर्णमे भ्यो विप्रर्षे रत्नं परममुत्तमम्,“सारे जगत्का मन््थन करके जो तेजकी राशि प्रकट हुई है, वही सुवर्ण है। अतः ब्रह्म! यह अज आदि सभी वस्तुओंसे परम उत्तम रत्न है
jagat sarvaṃ ca nirmathya tejorāśiḥ samutthitaḥ | suvarṇam ebhyo viprarṣe ratnaṃ paramam uttamam ||
जगत्सर्वं च निर्मथ्य तेजोराशिः समुत्थितः। सुवर्णं तद्भवेद्विप्रर्षे रत्नं परममुत्तमम्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gold is presented as the foremost ‘ratna’ because it embodies concentrated tejas (radiant potency). The verse frames material value in ethical-cosmic terms: what is most esteemed is that which symbolizes purity, brilliance, and auspicious power, often linked with righteous giving and ritual propriety.
Bhishma is instructing a Brahmin sage within Anushasana Parva’s didactic discourse. In the context of describing precious substances and their excellence, he explains gold’s supremacy through a metaphor of cosmic churning, from which a radiant essence emerges—identified as gold.