Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 28
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)
निदर्शनार्थ तपसो धर्मस्य च नराधिप । तत्र या55सीत् स्पूृहा राजंस्तच्चापि विदितं मया
nidarśanārthaṁ tapaso dharmasya ca narādhipa | tatra yāsīt spṛhā rājaṁs tac cāpi viditaṁ mayā || nareśvara |
噢，人中之主！我做这一切，只为向你显明苦行（tapas）与法（dharma）的力量及其真实尺度。并且，噢大王，你目睹这些事后心中生起的渴望，我也早已知晓，噢人间的统御者。
च्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Chyavana states that extraordinary actions and displays are meant as a moral demonstration: tapas (disciplined austerity) and dharma (righteous conduct) have real power, and a ruler should learn from such examples. He also implies that a wise seer can discern a king’s inner motives, so ethical intention matters, not merely outward reaction.
Chyavana addresses a king, explaining that what the king has witnessed was intentionally arranged as an instructive example about tapas and dharma. Chyavana further reveals that he already knows the desire that has arisen in the king’s mind after seeing these events.