Shloka 9
गोप्रदानविधिः (Gopradāna-vidhi) — Procedure and Praise of Cow-Gifting
कियत्कालं प्रदानस्य दाता च फलमश्ुते । कं बहुविध॑ दानं स्यादल्पमपि वा कथम्
kiyatkālaṃ pradānasya dātā ca phalam aśnute | kaṃ bahuvidhaṃ dānaṃ syād alpam api vā katham |
தானம் செய்தவன் அந்த தானத்தின் பலனை அங்கே எத்தனை காலம் அனுபவிப்பான்? ‘பலவகைத் தானம்’ என்று எதைச் சொல்வார்கள்? அல்லது சிறிதளவு தானம்கூட எவ்வாறு சாத்தியமாகவும் அர்த்தமுள்ளதாகவும் ஆகிறது?
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: giving (dāna) is evaluated not only by quantity but by its ethical quality and consequences—how long its merit endures, what makes giving ‘manifold’ (varied and appropriate), and how even a small gift can be significant when rightly offered.
Śakra (Indra) asks a set of clarifying questions about dāna-dharma—its duration of reward, the forms that count as diverse giving, and the conditions under which even a modest offering becomes valid and fruitful—prompting the subsequent instruction on charity.