Shloka 283

Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)

Devanagari script

सुवर्णदानेडकरवं मतिं च भरतर्षभ | 'जो सुवर्ण दान करते हैं, वे अपने पहले और पीछेकी दस-दस पीढ़ियोंका उद्धार कर देते हैं।।

Transliteration

suvarṇadāne ḍakaravaṃ matiṃ ca bharatarṣabha | ye suvarṇaṃ dadati te pūrvaṃ ca paraṃ ca daśa-daśa pīḍhīr uddharanti || rājan! yadā me pitaro ’bruvan tadā me nidrā vyapāyata | tadā svapnasmṛtyā mama mahān vismayaḥ samajāyata | prajānātha! bharataśreṣṭha! tataḥ suvarṇadānaṃ kartum eva niścayaṃ cakāra ||

Translation

“Hỡi bậc tráng kiện nhất trong dòng Bharata, tâm ta đã hướng mạnh về việc bố thí vàng. ‘Ai bố thí vàng sẽ cứu độ mười đời trước và mười đời sau của mình.’ Khi tổ tiên ta nói như thế, giấc ngủ ta liền tan. Nhớ lại giấc mộng ấy, ta vô cùng kinh ngạc. Ôi chúa tể muôn dân, bậc ưu tú nhất của Bharata—khi ấy ta đã quyết chí vững bền sẽ thực hành bố thí vàng.”

Word by Word

• {'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'suvarṇadāna': 'the gifting/donation of gold', 'dāna': 'charitable giving

• gift', 'bharatarṣabha': 'O bull among the Bharatas (honorific for a Kuru prince, typically Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'rājan': 'O king', 'pitaras': 'ancestors

• forefathers (often including pitṛs in a ritual sense)', 'pūrvam': 'before

• earlier (prior generations)', 'param': 'after

• later (future generations)', 'daśa-daśa': 'ten and ten', 'pīḍhī': 'generation

• lineage-step', 'uddharanti': 'they rescue

• they deliver', 'nidrā': 'sleep', 'svapna': 'dream', 'smṛti/smaraṇa': 'remembrance

• recollection', 'vismaya': 'wonder

• astonishment', 'prajānātha': 'lord of the people (epithet of the king)', 'bharataśreṣṭha': 'best among the Bharatas', 'niścaya': 'firm resolve

• determination', 'cakāra': 'made

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• pitaras (ancestors/forefathers)
• rājan (the king, addressed—Yudhiṣṭhira in context)
• suvarṇa (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the dharmic power of dāna—specifically suvarṇadāna (donating gold)—as an act believed to generate merit that benefits not only the giver but also their lineage, rescuing ten generations before and after.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma recounts that after hearing his ancestors’ declaration (in connection with a dream), he awakens in astonishment and forms a firm resolve to undertake the donation of gold, presenting it as a morally weighty decision rooted in ancestral instruction.