Shloka 18
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
यत् पिबन्ति जल तत्र स्नायन्ते विश्रमन्ति च । तडागे यस्य तत् सर्व प्रेत्यानन्त्याय कल्पते
yat pibanti jala tatra snāyante viśramanti ca | taḍāge yasya tat sarva pretyānantyāya kalpate ||
Bhishma sprach: Wenn die Menschen dort Wasser trinken, dort baden und dort rasten, dann fällt all dieses Verdienst dem Besitzer jenes Teiches zu; nach seinem Tod wird es zur Ursache unvergänglichen Wohlergehens.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Providing a pond or water-source for public use—so that others may drink, bathe, and rest—generates enduring merit for the benefactor, yielding imperishable well-being after death.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains the spiritual reward of public-benefit works: the everyday use of a person’s pond by travelers and locals becomes a continuous source of merit for its owner.