Shloka 92

दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च

Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food

Devanagari script

अमृतप्रसवां भूमिं प्राप्नोति पुरुषो ददत्‌ । नास्ति भूमिसमं दान॑ नास्ति मातृसमो गुरु: । नास्ति सत्यसमो धर्मो नास्ति दानसमो निधि:

Transliteration

amṛtaprasavāṃ bhūmiṃ prāpnoti puruṣo dadat | nāsti bhūmisamaṃ dānaṃ nāsti mātṛsamo guruḥ | nāsti satyasamo dharmo nāsti dānasamo nidhiḥ |

Translation

قال بهيشما: إنّ الرجلَ الذي يهب الأرض ينال أرضًا تُنبت وفرةً كأنها رحيقُ الخلود. لا صدقةَ تعدل صدقةَ الأرض؛ ولا مُعلّمَ يعدل الأم؛ ولا دَرما تعدل الصدق؛ ولا كنزَ يعدل السخاء في العطاء.

Word by Word

• {'amṛta': 'nectar

• ambrosial essence', 'prasavā (prasavāṃ)': 'bringing forth

• yielding', 'amṛtaprasavā': 'nectar-yielding

• abundantly life-giving', 'bhūmi (bhūmim)': 'earth

• territory', 'prāpnoti': 'attains

• reaches', 'puruṣaḥ': 'man

• person', 'dadat': 'giving

• one who gives (present participle of √dā)', 'nāsti': 'there is not

• none exists', 'bhūmi-sama': 'equal to land', 'dānam': 'gift

• act of giving', 'mātṛ-sama': 'equal to a mother', 'guruḥ': 'teacher

• venerable guide', 'satya-sama': 'equal to truth', 'dharmaḥ': 'righteousness

• duty', 'dāna-sama': 'equal to giving', 'nidhiḥ': 'treasure

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bhūmi (land/earth)
• mātṛ (mother)
• guru (teacher)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse ranks ethical and spiritual values: land-gift is the supreme form of giving, truth is the supreme dharma, the mother is the supreme guru, and generosity itself is the greatest treasure—because giving sustains life and society.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma from his bed of arrows. Here he delivers a compact set of maxims praising bhūmidāna (donation of land) and affirming truth and generosity as foundational virtues.