Shloka 74
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
दाता दशानुगृह्नाति दश हन्ति तथा क्षिपन् | पूर्वदत्ता हरन् भूमिं नरकायोपगच्छति
bhīṣma uvāca | dātā daśānugṛhṇāti daśa hanti tathā kṣipan | pūrvadattāṃ haran bhūmiṃ narakāyopagacchati ||
قال بهيشما: «مَن يهب (الأرض صدقةً) ينفع عشرَةَ أجيال؛ أمّا من يهب ثم ينتزع، فإنه يُهلك عشرةَ أجيال. ومن يستولي على أرضٍ كانت قد أُعطيت من قبل هبةً، يمضي إلى الجحيم.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Land-giving (bhūmi-dāna) is a powerful meritorious act benefiting one’s lineage, but retracting a gift or seizing previously donated land is a grave adharma that brings ruin to one’s line and leads to hell.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about the moral weight of gifts—especially land-grants—warning against the severe consequences of taking back what has been given.