Shloka 4
जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः
The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit
असद्धयो दीयते यत्तु तद् दानमिह भुज्यते । यादृशं दीयते दानं तादृश॑ फलमश्चुते
Bharadvāja uvāca: asaddhyo dīyate yat tu tad dānam iha bhujyate | yādṛśaṃ dīyate dānaṃ tādṛśaṃ phalam aśnute ||
असद्ध्येभ्यो दीयते यत्तु तद् दानमिह भुज्यते। यादृशं दीयते दानं तादृशं फलमश्नुते॥
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The ethical value and the fruit of charity depend on the worthiness of the recipient and the quality of the gift: giving to the unworthy yields immediate, worldly return, while the intended higher, otherworldly merit is secured by giving rightly; in all cases, the result mirrors the nature of the donation.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, the sage Bharadvāja explains principles of dāna (charitable giving), distinguishing how the fruit of a gift is experienced depending on whether it is offered to worthy or unworthy persons.