Shloka 75
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
न ददाति प्रतिश्रुत्य दत्त्वापि च हरेत् तु यः । स बद्धो वारुणौ: पाशैस्तप्यते मृत्युशासनात्
na dadāti pratiśrutya dattvāpi ca haret tu yaḥ | sa baddho vāruṇaiḥ pāśais tapyate mṛtyuśāsanāt ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Wer zu geben versprochen hat und nicht gibt — oder selbst nach dem Geben es wieder zurücknimmt — wird von Varuṇas Schlingen gebunden und leidet unter der Satzung des Todes.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A pledge to give must be honored, and a gift once given must not be reclaimed. Breaking one’s promise or retracting a gift is treated as a serious breach of dharma, bringing binding consequences symbolized by Varuṇa’s nooses and punishment under Death’s ordinance.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the ethics of dāna (giving). He warns that failing to fulfill a promised gift—or taking back what has been given—incurs severe karmic and moral repercussions.