Shloka 33
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
भीष्म उवाच अक्रोधना धर्मपरा: सत्यनित्या दमे रता: | तादृशा: साधवो वित्रास्तेभ्यो दत्त महाफलम्
bhīṣma uvāca akrodhanā dharmaparāḥ satyanityā dame ratāḥ | tādṛśāḥ sādhavo viprās tebhyo dattaṃ mahāphalam ||
Bhishma sprach: „O König, Brāhmaṇas, die frei von Zorn sind, dem Dharma ergeben, in der Wahrheit standhaft und auf Selbstzucht bedacht — solche sind die wahrhaft Tugendhaften. Gaben, die ihnen dargebracht werden, tragen großen Ertrag (darum sind sie in Riten wie dem śrāddha die rechten Empfänger, die man speisen soll).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity bears the greatest merit when directed to recipients of proven character—those who are angerless, dharma-centered, truthful, and disciplined. The verse links the fruit of giving to the ethical quality of the receiver.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) in Anuśāsana Parva, he specifies the marks of truly virtuous Brahmins and states that gifts—especially in contexts like śrāddha—should be offered to such persons for maximal spiritual benefit.