Shloka 104
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
नचाश्वमेधैर्बहुभि: फलं सममिदं तव । सक्तुप्रस्थेन विजितो ब्रह्मलोकस्त्वयाक्षय:
na cāśvamedhair bahubhiḥ phalaṃ samam idaṃ tava | saktuprasthena vijito brahmalokas tvayākṣayaḥ ||
岳父说道：“你因这次布施所得的功德，即便举行无数次马祭（Aśvamedha）也无法与之相比。你只施与一钵（prastha）炒大麦粉（saktu），便为自己赢得了不坏的梵天世界。由此可见，施舍的伦理价值不在于多少，而在于施者的真诚、困乏中的舍与自我节制。”
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the moral and spiritual value of charity depends primarily on intention, sacrifice, and the giver’s circumstances—not on the external scale of the offering. A modest gift given with genuine self-denial can yield greater merit than grand rituals performed with wealth and display.
A father-in-law addresses the giver and praises the extraordinary fruit of a simple donation—only a prastha of saktu—declaring it superior to the merit of many Aśvamedha sacrifices. He concludes that this act has secured the giver an imperishable attainment, Brahmaloka.