Dharmavarmā
Dharmavarmā was a king of Saurāshṭra. He gave himself to tapas (austerity) because he sincerely wished to understand the full truth (tattva) of dāna (giving). In answer, a voice from the sky (ākāśavāṇī) spoke a single śloka (verse) that named the parts of dāna but did not explain them. Hundreds of brāhmaṇas came and could not explain it. Only Nārada, who came in the guise of an old brāhmaṇa, could give the full meaning. Nārada did not take the cows and gold the king had promised. He asked instead for land near the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama, where the brāhmaṇas of Kalāpagrama could settle.
The king and his question
The Kaumārika Khaṇḍa presents Dharmavarmā as a tapasvin (one who practises austerity) and a king. He set aside time from ruling to look into one question through real tapas. His question was not about power or wealth. He wished to know what dāna is in its fullest sense, and how all its parts can be told apart. Because of this, the ākāśavāṇī answered him. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 4)
The voice from the sky and the riddle
The voice that answered Dharmavarmā’s tapas gave one śloka:
“Two hetus (causes), six adhishṭhānas (foundations), six aṅgas (components), two phalas (fruits), four prakāras (types), three vidhis (grades), three nāśas (causes of destruction) — this is dāna.”
No explanation came with the śloka. The king could not work it out, and he saw how deep it was. He offered a very large reward to any scholar who could explain it fully: seven hundred crore cows, an equal weight of gold, and seven villages.
Hundreds of brāhmaṇas came from all over the land. They accepted his hospitality and tried to explain the śloka, but they all failed. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 4)
Nārada’s arrival and explanation
Nārada Devarshi had been thinking about the nature of dāna in Brahmā’s court. He had also been thinking about his own inability to give, since he owned nothing but his loincloth and his staff. He heard of Dharmavarmā’s situation and saw his chance. He came to the king’s court in the guise of an old brāhmaṇa and said that he could explain the śloka.
Nārada then gave a full, orderly explanation of dāna as the śloka describes it.
- Two hetus (causes): śraddhā (faith) and śakti (the power to give within one’s means). Dāna without śraddhā bears no fruit. Dāna beyond one’s śakti harms those who depend on the giver.
- Six adhishṭhānas (foundations): the six motives for giving. They are dharma-buddhi (the sense of dharma), artha (greed for standing), kāma (desire), hrī (shame), harsha (joy) and bhaya (fear). Each gives a different kind of puṇya (merit).
- Six aṅgas (components): the six parts of a complete act of dāna. They are the giver (dātā), the receiver (pratigrāhīta), the purity of the act (śuddhi), the thing given (deyam), accompaniment by dharma, and the right place and time (deśa-kāla).
- Two phalas (fruits): pāra-phala, the puṇya of the next world, which comes when the gift goes to a worthy person; and iha-phala, benefit in this world only, which comes when the gift goes to one who is not worthy.
- Four prakāras (types): dhruva-dāna (lasting giving through an institution), trika-dāna (daily giving), kāmya-dāna (giving for a purpose) and naimittika-dāna (giving on a special occasion).
- Three vidhis (grades): the eight best gifts (homes, vidyā (learning), bhūmi (land), cows, wells, life, prāṇa-dāna (the gift of life-breath) and gold); four middle gifts (food, gardens, clothing and horses); and the rest as the lowest gifts.
- Three nāśas (causes of destruction): asura-dāna (regretting after giving), rākshasa-dāna (giving without śraddhā) and paiśāca-dāna (giving with suffering). All three destroy the puṇya of the gift.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 4)
The king’s reply and the grant of land
Dharmavarmā was filled with gratitude. He said: “Today my birth is fulfilled, my tapas has borne fruit. Learning without practice is like a wife who never speaks pleasantly: wasted. You have made my birth worthwhile.”
Then Nārada made himself known. He did not want the promised cows and gold. He asked for a particular piece of land: seven gavyūtis (about 28 miles) near the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama. Dharmavarmā gave it at once and promised to keep and protect the grant. The land was to be settled by the brāhmaṇas of Kalāpagrama. It gave them a home beside a tīrtha (sacred place), where they could follow dharma with the combined puṇya of all the sacred rivers. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 4)
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 4