Shloka 7
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
कि सुवर्ण कथं जात॑ कस्मिन् काले किमात्मकम् | कि दैवं कि फलं चैव कस्माच्च परमुच्यते
ki suvarṇaṁ kathaṁ jātaṁ kasmin kāle kim-ātmakam | ki daivaṁ ki phalaṁ caiva kasmāc ca param ucyate ||
尤提士提罗问道：“何为黄金？它如何生成？起于何时，其本质为何？由哪位天神主宰？施赠黄金得何果报？又因何缘故，黄金被称为至上（诸赠礼之最）？”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry into dāna: it treats gold not merely as wealth but as a sacred substance whose origin, presiding deity, and karmic ‘fruit’ determine its ethical use. The implied teaching is that gifts should be understood in terms of their nature and spiritual consequences, not only their market value.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on gifts and righteous conduct, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a set of systematic questions about suvarṇa—its origin, essence, divine association, the merit gained by donating it, and why it is praised as the foremost—prompting the ensuing discourse on the sanctity and efficacy of gold-giving.