Shloka 8

Devanagari script

कस्माद्‌ दानं सुवर्णस्य पूजयन्ति मनीषिण: । कस्माच्च दक्षिणार्थ तद्‌ यज्ञकर्मसु शस्यते,मनीषी विद्वान्‌ सुवर्णानका अधिक आदर क्‍यों करते हैं? तथा यज्ञ-कर्मोमें दक्षिणाके लिये सुवर्णकी प्रशंसा क्यों की जाती है?

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

kasmād dānaṁ suvarṇasya pūjayanti manīṣiṇaḥ |

kasmāc ca dakṣiṇārthaṁ tad yajñakarmasu śasyate ||

Translation

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు— జ్ఞానులు స్వర్ణదానాన్ని ప్రత్యేకంగా ఎందుకు గౌరవిస్తారు? అలాగే యజ్ఞకర్మల్లో దక్షిణగా స్వర్ణాన్నే ఎందుకు ప్రశంసిస్తారు?

Word by Word

कस्मात्from what cause? why?

दानम्gift; giving

सुवर्णस्यof gold

पूजयन्तिthey honor; they praise

मनीषिणःthe wise (people)

कस्मात्from what cause? why?

चand

दक्षिणार्थम्for the purpose of the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā)

तत्that (gold / that thing)

यज्ञकर्मसुin sacrificial rites

शस्यतेis praised; is commended

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

suvarṇa (gold)

dakṣiṇā

yajña (sacrifice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry into dāna and ritual duty: it asks why gold is considered an especially meritorious gift and why it is recommended as dakṣiṇā in yajñas, inviting an explanation of value, purity, and social-religious function in dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira poses a question to an elder teacher (contextually Bhīṣma’s discourse) about the privileged status of gold in charity and sacrificial remuneration, setting up a didactic response on proper giving and ritual norms.