Shloka 2
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
कथं चैतत् समुत्पन्नं किमर्थ चैव दीयते । न केवल श्राद्धकृत्ये पुण्यकेष्वपि दीयते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ caitat samutpannaṃ kimarthaṃ caiva dīyate | na kevalaṃ śrāddhakṛtye puṇyakeṣv api dīyate |
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Tục lệ ấy phát sinh thế nào, và vì mục đích gì mà người ta đem cho? Bởi không chỉ trong nghi lễ śrāddha dành cho người đã khuất, mà còn trong nhiều dịp tạo phước khác, người ta cũng dâng tặng như vậy.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dāna as a dharmic institution whose value extends beyond funerary obligations: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the rationale and origin of giving, implying that charity is a general means of generating puṇya and sustaining social-religious order, not merely a rite-bound act for ancestors.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks an elder teacher to explain how the relevant gift/practice began and why it is prescribed, noting that it is performed not only during śrāddha but also during other auspicious, merit-producing observances.