Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Public Request for Consent to Enter the Forest (अनुज्ञा-प्रार्थना)
एवं स वसुधाराभिरर्वर्षमाणो नृपाम्बुद: । तर्पयामास विद्रांस्तान् वर्षन् सस्यमिवाम्बुद:
evaṁ sa vasudhārābhir avarṣamāṇo nṛpāmbudaḥ | tarpayāmāsa viprāṁs tān varṣan sasyam ivāmbudaḥ ||
ดังนั้นพระราชา—ประหนึ่งเมฆฝน—ก็โปรยสายธารแห่งทรัพย์สินลงมา ทำให้พราหมณ์เหล่านั้นอิ่มเอม ดังเมฆที่หลั่งฝนหล่อเลี้ยงพืชผล
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse praises dāna as a royal duty: a righteous king should distribute wealth so that the learned and needy are sustained, just as timely rain sustains agriculture. Generosity is portrayed as life-giving and socially stabilizing.
Vaiśampāyana describes the king (contextually Dhṛtarāṣṭra) giving abundant gifts—likened to rainfall—thereby satisfying the assembled brāhmaṇas, who are compared to crops nourished by a cloud.