Shloka 11
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
अपि पापकृतां राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्लन्ति साधव: । पृथिवीं नान्यदिच्छन्ति पावनं जननी यथा,श्रेष्ठ पुरुष पापाचारी राजाओंसे भी पृथ्वीका दान तो ले लेते हैं, किंतु और किसी वस्तुका दान नहीं लेना चाहते। पृथ्वी वैसी ही पावन वस्तु है जैसी माता
api pāpakṛtāṁ rājñāṁ pratigṛhṇanti sādhavaḥ | pṛthivīṁ nānyad icchanti pāvanaṁ jananī yathā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Selbst von Königen, die sündige Taten begehen, dürfen die Rechtschaffenen die Gabe von Land annehmen; doch keine andere Gabe wünschen sie zu empfangen. Denn die Erde ist eine reinigende Gabe—rein wie eine Mutter selbst.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes between gifts: land (pṛthivī) is uniquely purifying and may be accepted even from morally compromised rulers, whereas other gifts are to be avoided by the righteous. The verse elevates the earth as intrinsically sanctifying, comparable to a mother.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and dāna, Bhīṣma advises on what kinds of gifts virtuous people may accept. He states that even if a king is sinful, the righteous may accept land from him, but they refrain from taking other possessions.