Shloka 3
Śāṃtanu’s Ideal Rule; Devavrata’s Return; The Satyavatī Marriage Condition and Bhīṣma’s Vow (आदि पर्व, अध्याय ९४)
वसुमानुवाच तांस््ते ददानि मा प्रपत प्रपात॑ ये मे लोकास्तव ते वै भवन्तु | क्रीणीष्वैतांस्तृणकेनापि राजन् प्रतिग्रहस्ते यदि धीमन् प्रदुष्ट:,वसुमान् बोले--राजन्! वे सभी लोक मैं आपके लिये देता हूँ, आप नीचे न गिरें। मेरे लिये जितने पुण्यलोक हैं, वे सब आपके हो जायँ। धीमन्! यदि आपको प्रतिग्रह लेनेमें दोष दिखायी देता हो तो एक मुट्ठी तिनका मुझे मूल्यके रूपमें देकर मेरे इन सभी लोकोंको खरीद लें
Vasumān uvāca—tāṁs te dadāni mā prapata prapāta ye me lokās tava te vai bhavantu | krīṇīṣvaitāṁs tṛṇakenāpi rājan pratigrahas te yadi dhīman praduṣṭaḥ ||
婆苏曼说道：“我把那些世界赐给你——莫坠入毁灭。凡我所有的福德之界，愿都真实地归于你。大王，若你这位智者认为受赠有染于义法（dharma），那么就以一叶草为价，从我这里买下这些世界吧。”
प्रतर्दन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: receiving a gift (pratigraha) can be considered ethically problematic depending on context and recipient’s scruples. Vasuman offers a workaround—transforming a ‘gift’ into a ‘purchase’ with a token price—showing sensitivity to moral purity while still enabling help and transfer of benefit.
Vasuman addresses the king (Pratardana), urging him not to fall into misfortune. He offers to transfer his earned heavenly realms to the king; and if the king hesitates because accepting gifts may be दोष (a fault), Vasuman proposes that the king ‘buy’ those realms for even a blade of grass, making it a transaction rather than a gift.