Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection
गवां शतसहस्राणि शयनानां च भारत । रुक्मस्य योषितां चैव धर्मराज: पृथग् ददौ
gavāṁ śata-sahasrāṇi śayanānāṁ ca bhārata | rukmasya yoṣitāṁ caiva dharma-rājaḥ pṛthag dadau ||
اے بھارت! دھرم راج یُدھِشٹھِر نے الگ الگ عطیوں کے طور پر لاکھوں گائیں، اسی قدر بستر، سونا اور کنواریاں دوشیزائیں بھی بخشیں۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse underscores dāna as a central royal virtue: a dhārmic king sustains society by generous, properly ordered giving—wealth is treated as a trust to be redistributed in sanctioned ways, especially to uphold ritual and social obligations.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, in the course of grand ceremonial giving, distributes vast quantities of valuable gifts—cows, beds, gold, and maidens—explicitly ‘separately,’ emphasizing systematic, formal donation.