Shloka 56
Adhyāya 42 (Śānti Parva): Śrāddha, Aurdhvadaihika Rites, and Royal Welfare Measures
धनै रत्नैश्व गोभिश्व वस्त्रैश्न समतर्पयत् । उन्होंने प्रत्येकके उद्देश्यसे हजारों ब्राह्मगोंको अलग-अलग धन, रत्न, गौ और वस्त्र देकर संतुष्ट किया
dhanai ratnaiś ca gobhiś ca vastraiś ca samatarpayat | sahasraśo brāhmaṇān pṛthak pṛthag uddiśya dhana-ratna-go-vastra-dānaiḥ santoṣayām āsa |
毗湿摩波衍那言：他以布施使众人欢悦——财帛、珍宝、牛群与衣服。念及受者各各不同，他分别而适度地分给数千婆罗门以金钱、贵物、牲畜与衣裳；此举被称为合乎达摩的义施，亦为社会之责。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as a dharmic obligation: wealth is to be used to support learned and ritual specialists, and giving should be intentional, appropriate, and personally directed—thereby sustaining social order and accruing ethical merit.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a scene of large-scale gifting in which thousands of brāhmaṇas are individually satisfied through distributions of money, jewels, cows, and clothing, emphasizing the donor’s deliberate and orderly generosity.