Shloka 19
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
ध्तराष्ट्र वाच अतिथिव्रता: सुव्रता ये जना वै प्रतिश्रयं ददति ब्राह्मणेभ्य: | शिष्टाशिन: संविभज्यमश्रितांश्न मंदाकिनीं तेडपि विभूषयन्ति
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—atithivratāḥ suvratā ye janā vai pratiśrayaṃ dadati brāhmaṇebhyaḥ | śiṣṭāśinaḥ saṃvibhajyam āśritān aśnanti te ’pi mandākinīṃ taṭaṃ vibhūṣayanti ||
Wika ni Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Yaong mga tapat sa panatang paggalang sa panauhin, sumusunod sa marangal na disiplina, nagbibigay ng kanlungan at tulong sa mga brāhmaṇa, at kumakain lamang ng natira matapos magbahagi sa mga umaasa sa kanila—sila lamang ang tunay na nagpapaganda sa mga pampang ng Mandākinī.
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sacred place is truly honored not merely by presence or pilgrimage, but by ethical conduct: welcoming guests, giving refuge to brāhmaṇas, sharing with dependents, and eating only after others are cared for.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes the kind of virtuous people who beautify the Mandākinī’s banks—those known for hospitality, support of brāhmaṇas, and disciplined, sharing-based household life—framing moral behavior as the real ornament of holy sites.