Shloka 29

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving

Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum

Devanagari script

कर्मणा पुनरेवाहं सुखमागामि लक्षये । तच्छोतुमहमिच्छामि त्वत्त: श्रेयस्तपोधन

Transliteration

karmaṇā punarevāhaṃ sukham āgāmi lakṣaye | tac chrotum aham icchāmi tvattaḥ śreyas tapodhana ||

Translation

แมลงกล่าวว่า “ข้าพเจ้าตระหนักว่า ด้วยกรรมของตนเองนี่แล ข้าพเจ้าจึงกลับได้ถึงความสุขอีกครั้ง ข้าพเจ้าปรารถนาจะฟังจากท่าน โอผู้เป็นขุมทรัพย์แห่งตบะ ว่าอะไรคือประโยชน์สูงสุดอันแท้จริงของข้าพเจ้า”

Word by Word

कर्मणाby action/deed

पुनःagain

एवindeed/only

अहम्I

सुखम्happiness/comfort

आगामिI attain/come to

लक्षयेI perceive/observe

तत्that (fact/thing)

श्रोतुम्to hear

अहम्I

इच्छामिI wish/desire

त्वत्तःfrom you

श्रेयःthe better/good (what is beneficial)

तपोधनO ascetic whose wealth is austerity

Speaker

कीट उवाच

Characters & Entities

kīṭa (the insect speaker)

tapodhana (an ascetic sage addressed)

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 foregrounds karma as the decisive factor in one’s experience of happiness and welfare, and it frames ethical inquiry as seeking śreyas (the highest good) from a spiritually disciplined teacher.

What is happening in the narrative?

An insect, reflecting on its condition, concludes that its happiness is linked to its own actions and respectfully asks an ascetic (tapodhana) to instruct it about what is truly beneficial and elevating.