Shloka 16
अन्नदानफलं (Anna-dāna-phala) / The Fruit of Food-Giving
अहन्यहनि तद्भावमुपेन्द्रं योडथिगच्छति । समाप्ते भोजयेद् विप्रानथवा दापयेद् घृतम्
ahany ahani tadbhāvam upendraṁ yo ’dhigacchati | samāpte bhojayed viprān athavā dāpayet ghṛtam ||
Bhishma said: “Whoever, day after day, attains that devotional state directed to Upendra (Vishnu) reaches the very condition of Vishnu. When this vow is completed, he should feed Brahmins, or else give them ghee in charity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steady daily devotion to Vishnu (Upendra) transforms the practitioner toward Vishnu’s own state; the observance should culminate in ethical giving—feeding Brahmins or donating ghee—linking inner devotion with outward generosity.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes the fruit of a Vishnu-centered vow practiced daily and prescribes the proper concluding act (udvāsana): hospitality to Brahmins or a ghee donation as a formal completion of the rite.