Shloka 5

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving

Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum

Devanagari script

निरता येन भावेन तत्र मे शृूणु कारणम्‌ | सम्यक्‌ चायमनुप्रश्नस्त्वयोक्तस्तु युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

niratā yena bhāvena tatra me śṛṇu kāraṇam | samyak cāyam anupraśnas tvayoktas tu yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Hãy nghe ta nói về nguyên do của tâm thế ấy, nhờ đó mà các hữu tình bám chặt lấy sự sống. Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, câu hỏi tiếp theo của con quả thật đặt ra rất đúng.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'niratāḥ', 'definition': 'engaged in

• absorbed in'}, {'term': 'yena bhāvena', 'definition': 'by which disposition/attitude

• through what state of mind'}, {'term': 'tatra', 'definition': 'therein

• in that matter/context'}, {'term': 'me', 'definition': 'from me

• my'}, {'term': 'śṛṇu', 'definition': 'hear

• listen'}, {'term': 'kāraṇam', 'definition': 'cause

• reason'}, {'term': 'samyak', 'definition': 'properly

• well'}, {'term': 'ayam', 'definition': 'this'}, {'term': 'anupraśnaḥ', 'definition': 'follow-up question

• further inquiry (asked to clarify a point)'}, {'term': 'tvayā uktaḥ', 'definition': 'spoken/asked by you'}, {'term': 'tu', 'definition': 'indeed

• emphatic particle'}, {'term': 'yudhiṣṭhira', 'definition': 'Yudhishthira (eldest Pandava

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma affirms that Yudhishthira’s inquiry is properly framed and prepares to explain the psychological and ethical cause behind beings’ attachment to life—setting up a dharma-based analysis of why people cling to existence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional dialogue, Yudhishthira asks a clarifying follow-up question; Bhishma, as teacher, praises the question and introduces that he will now state the reason behind the attitude under discussion.