Shloka 14
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Public Request for Consent to Enter the Forest (अनुज्ञा-प्रार्थना)
ग्रामाग्रहारद्वीपाब्यो मणिहेमजलार्णव: । जगत् सम्प्लावयामास धृतराष्ट्रोडुपोद्धत:
grāmāgrahāradvīpābhyo maṇihemajalārṇavaḥ | jagat samplāvayāmāsa dhṛtarāṣṭroḍupoddhataḥ ||
毗舍摩耶那说：由村邑与免税赐地（agrahāra，阿格罗诃罗）所成的“岛屿”之间，仿佛升起一片海洋，其水皆为宝珠与黄金。因“满月”般的持国（Dhṛtarāṣṭra）而涨溢，那布施之海翻涌外溢，浸漫整个世界——象征他以土地与财富所行的广大施舍，遍及四方，凡入其影响之域者无不蒙及。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates dāna (generosity) as a dharmic force that can ‘flood’ the world with benefit. By portraying gifts—especially land grants and wealth—as an ocean, it suggests that righteous giving, when vast and well-directed, becomes socially transformative and spiritually meritorious, even for a king burdened by past failings.
Vaiśampāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s great giving as a metaphorical ocean filled with gems and gold. Villages and agrahāras are likened to islands, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra is compared to the moon that raises the tide—indicating that his presence and resolve intensify the scale of the donations, which spread widely among recipients.