Mahabharata 3.201.13 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 13
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
तस्मात् सर्वास्ववस्थासु सर्वदानानि पार्थिव | दातव्यानि द्विजातिभ्य: स्वर्गमार्गजिगीषया
tasmāt sarvāsv avasthāsu sarvadānāni pārthiva | dātavyāni dvijātibhyaḥ svargamārga-jigīṣayā || japair mantraiś ca homaiś ca svādhyāyādhyayanena ca | nāvaṁ vedamayīṁ kṛtvā tārayanti taranti ca ||
मार्कण्डेय उवाच—तस्मात् सर्वास्ववस्थासु सर्वदा, पार्थिव, स्वर्गमार्गजिगीषया द्विजातिभ्यो दानानि दातव्यानि। जपैर्मन्त्रैश्च होमैश्च स्वाध्यायाध्ययनेन च वेदमयीं नावं कृत्वा परान् तारयन्ति, स्वयमपि तरन्ति च।
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should practice continual charity—especially toward the twice-born—as a dharmic means of attaining the heavenly path; and one should honor the Brāhmaṇas’ role as preservers of Vedic discipline, who through japa, mantra, homa, and study become a ‘Vedic boat’ that benefits both society and themselves.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a king and gives ethical instruction: he urges steady giving and highlights how Brāhmaṇas, by maintaining Vedic rites and learning, provide a salvific support to others while also securing their own spiritual passage.
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