Shloka 73

Devanagari script

प्रतिपर्वसमाप्तौ तु पुस्तकं वै विचक्षण: । सुवर्णेन च संयुक्त वाचकाय निवेदयेत्‌

Transliteration

pratiparvasamāptau tu pustakaṃ vai vicakṣaṇaḥ | suvarṇena ca saṃyuktaṃ vācakāya nivedayet, pṛthvīnātha |

Translation

प्रतिपर्वसमाप्तौ तु पुस्तकं वै विचक्षणः । सुवर्णेन च संयुक्तं वाचकाय निवेदयेत् ॥ पृथ्वीनाथ! यदि श्रोता दरिद्रोऽपि भवेत् तदा । अर्धदक्षिणया सार्धं गोदानं कर्तुमर्हति ॥

Word by Word

• {'prati-parva-samāpti': 'the completion of each parvan/section', 'tu': 'indeed

• then', 'pustaka': 'book

• manuscript (the text being recited)', 'vai': 'certainly

• indeed (emphatic particle)', 'vicakṣaṇaḥ': 'discerning

• judicious person', 'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'saṃyukta': 'joined with

• accompanied by', 'vācaka': 'reciter

• one who publicly reads/recites', 'nivedayet': 'should present

• should hand over', 'pṛthvīnātha': 'lord of the earth

• king (vocative address)', 'śrotā': 'listener

• audience member', 'daridra': 'poor

• indigent', 'dakṣiṇā': 'honorarium/fee given to officiant or reciter

• ritual gratuity', 'go-dāna': 'gift of a cow (a meritorious donation)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• pṛthvīnātha (the king addressed)
• pustaka (book/manuscript)
• suvarṇa (gold)
• vācaka (reciter/reader)
• śrotā (listener)
• go (cow, as donation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the dharma of supporting sacred recitation and learning through appropriate gifts: at each parvan’s completion one should honor the reciter with the text and gold, and even when resources are limited, one should still perform meritorious giving (such as go-dāna) with a reduced but sincere dakṣiṇā.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing customary observances connected with hearing/reciting the Mahābhārata: the patron or listener marks each parvan’s end by formally offering gifts—especially the manuscript and gold—to the vācaka, emphasizing respectful patronage of the transmission of the epic.