Shloka 10
भोजनादेव लोकांस्त्रींस्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् | दीप: सर्वस्य लोकस्य चक्षुश्क्षुष्मतामपि
bhojanād eva lokāṁs trīn trāyante mahato bhayāt | dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuḥ cakṣuṣmatām api ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—শুধু অন্নদান করেই ব্রাহ্মণেরা মহাভয় থেকে ত্রিলোককে রক্ষা করেন। তাঁরা সমগ্র জগতের জন্য প্রদীপস্বরূপ আলোকদাতা, এবং যাদের চোখ আছে তাদেরও চোখস্বরূপ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates anna-dāna (the gift of food) as a world-sustaining dharma: supporting Brahmins through feeding is portrayed as protecting society from great fear, because Brahmins embody and transmit sacred knowledge and moral discernment—like a lamp and like eyesight.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on gifts and duties, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira the ethical power of charity. Here he praises feeding (especially of Brahmins) as a supreme act whose benefit extends beyond the giver and recipient to the stability and well-being of the three worlds.