Shloka 1
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
बी जम अष्टनवतितमोब् ध्याय: तपस्वी सुवर्ण और मनुका संवाद--पुष्प, धूप, दीप और उपहारके दानका माहात्म्य युधिछिर उवाच आलोकदानं नामैतत् कीदृशं भरतर्षभ । कथमेतत् समुत्पन्नं फलं वा तद् ब्रवीहि मे,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--भरतश्रेष्ठ) यह जो दीपदान नामक कर्म है, यह कैसे किया जाता है? इसकी उत्पत्ति कैसे हुई? अथवा इसका फल क्या है? यह मुझे बताइये
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ālokadānaṃ nāmaitat kīdṛśaṃ bharatarṣabha | katham etat samutpannaṃ phalaṃ vā tad bravīhi me ||
యుధిష్ఠిరుడు పలికెను—ఓ భరతశ్రేష్ఠా! ‘ఆలోకదానం’ (దీపదానం) అనే ఈ కర్మ ఏ విధమైనది? దీన్ని ఎలా చేయాలి? ఇది ఎలా ఉద్భవించింది? దీని ఫలం ఏమిటి? నాకు చెప్పుము.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as something to be learned through inquiry: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a clear account of a charitable rite—its proper method, its origin, and its ethical-spiritual result—showing that merit (puṇya) is tied to informed, purposeful giving.
At the start of the chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an elder/teacher as “bharatarṣabha” and asks for instruction about ālokadāna (lamp-offering): what it is, how it is performed, how it began, and what benefits it yields, setting up a discourse on the greatness of offerings such as light (and, by the chapter heading, related gifts like flowers, incense, and food).