Shloka 7
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)
प्रासादानां बहूनां च काउचनानां महामुने । मणिदविद्रुपादानां पर्यड्काणां च दर्शनम्
prāsādānāṁ bahūnāṁ ca kāñcanānāṁ mahāmune | maṇi-vaidūrya-pādānāṁ paryaṅkāṇāṁ ca darśanam ||
Sinabi ni Kuśika: “O dakilang pantas, nakita ang maraming palasyong ginto, at gayundin ang mga higaan na ang mga paa’y inukitan at nilagyan ng mga hiyas at vaidūrya (batong ‘cat’s-eye’).”
कुशिक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds opulence—golden palaces and gem-studded couches—as a narrative image often used in dharma literature to test discernment: external splendor can attract the mind, but ethical clarity requires seeing such wealth as impermanent and not inherently virtuous.
Kushika describes what was seen: numerous golden palaces and luxurious couches with gem and vaidūrya-set legs, addressing a great sage. The line functions as a vivid inventory of royal luxury within the ongoing discourse of Anuśāsana on conduct and values.