Shloka 25
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
स्तोतव्या चेह पृथिवी निवापस्येह धारिणी । वैष्णवी काश्यपी चेति तथैवेहाक्षयेति च
stotavyā ceha pṛthivī nivāpasyeha dhāriṇī | vaiṣṇavī kāśyapī ceti tathaivehākṣayeti ca
قال بهيشما: «هنا ينبغي أن تُمدَح الأرض—هي التي تحمل البذر وتُقيم ما زُرِع. وتُسمّى أيضًا فايشنَفِي (Vaiṣṇavī) وكاشْيَبِي (Kāśyapī)؛ وكذلك تُعرَف هنا باسم أكشَيا (Akṣayā)، أي “غير النافدة”.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence for the Earth as a sacred sustainer: she bears the act of sowing and supports life’s productivity. By invoking her epithets (Vaiṣṇavī, Kāśyapī, Akṣayā), Bhīṣma frames ethical gratitude and responsibility toward the ground that nourishes all beings.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing on dharma and proper conduct. Here he introduces a praise of the Earth, listing her functional role (supporting sowing and growth) and her traditional divine-genealogical names, as part of a broader didactic discourse.