Shloka 85
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
पवित्र च पवित्राणां मड्गलानां च मंगलम् । यत् सुवर्ण स भगवानग्निरीश: प्रजापति:
pavitraṃ ca pavitrāṇāṃ maṅgalānāṃ ca maṅgalam | yat suvarṇaṃ sa bhagavān agnir īśaḥ prajāpatiḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“黄金为诸净之最净，为诸吉之最吉。因为所谓黄金，正是吉祥的阿耆尼圣尊——实即自在天（Īśa）与生主（Prajāpati）本身。”（《摩诃婆罗多》〈教诫篇〉，施舍法门中“黄金之起源”第八十五章。）
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that gold is supremely pure and auspicious because it is identified with divine principles—Agni, Īśa, and Prajāpati. This sacral identification supports the ethical ideal that wealth, when treated as sacred and used in dāna (charitable giving), becomes a vehicle of purification and auspicious merit rather than mere possession.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dāna-dharma instruction, Bhishma is explaining the sanctity and origin/status of gold (suvarṇa). He frames gold as intrinsically holy by equating it with major Vedic divinities, thereby encouraging its respectful use—especially in ritual and gifting—as part of righteous conduct.