Shloka 40
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
पूर्णचन्द्रप्रतिकाशा दीपदाश्व॒ भवन्त्युत
pūrṇacandra-pratikāśā dīpadāś ca bhavanty uta | dīpadānaṃ karṇevāle manuṣya niścaya hī pūrṇa-candramā ke samāna kāntimān hote haiṃ | jitne palakoṃ ke girne-tak dīpaka jalte haiṃ utne varṣoṃ-tak dīpadāna karṇevālā manuṣya rūpavān aur balavān hotā hai ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Wer Lampen spendet, wird strahlend wie der Vollmond. Wahrlich, der Mensch, der die Gabe einer Lampe darbringt, erlangt einen mondgleichen Glanz. Und so viele Augenblicke die Lampe weiter brennt—bis zum Blinzeln der Lider—so viele Jahre ist der Spender dieser Lampe mit Schönheit und Kraft begabt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dīpadāna (gifting a lamp) is a powerful dharmic charity: the giver gains moonlike radiance, along with beauty and strength, in proportion to the lamp’s burning—linking the act of giving light with the reward of personal brilliance and vigor.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by describing the fruits of specific gifts; here he extols the merit of offering a lamp, presenting it as an exemplary, accessible form of charity.