Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
इतो दत्तेन जीवन्ति देवता: पितरस्तथा । तस्माद् दानानि देयानि ब्राह्मणेभ्यो विजानता,इस लोकमें ब्राह्मणको दान देनेसे देवता और पितर तृप्त होते हैं; इसलिये विद्वान् पुरुष ब्राह्मणको अवश्य दान दे
ito dattena jīvanti devatāḥ pitaras tathā | tasmād dānāni deyāni brāhmaṇebhyo vijānatā ||
ইয়াত যি দান দিয়া হয়, তাত দেৱতাসকল আৰু পিতৃসকলেও পোষিত হৈ তৃপ্ত হয়। সেয়ে এই কথা জনা বিবেকী পুৰুষে ব্ৰাহ্মণসকলক নিশ্চয় দান দিব লাগে।
भीष्म उवाच
Giving (dāna) is presented as a dharmic obligation: offerings made in this world sustain and gratify both the gods and the ancestors; hence the wise should give, particularly to Brāhmaṇas as worthy recipients.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he emphasizes the religious-ethical rationale for charity: gifts uphold reciprocal bonds with devas and pitṛs and thus should be practiced by the discerning.