Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
चारित्रनिरता राजन् ये कृशा: कृशवृत्तय: । अर्थिनश्लोपगच्छन्ति तेषु दत्त महाफलम्
cāritraniratā rājan ye kṛśāḥ kṛśavṛttayaḥ | arthinaś copagacchanti teṣu dattaṃ mahāphalam, rājan ||
Bhishma said: “O King, when people devoted to good conduct—whose livelihood has withered away and who have become extremely emaciated for lack of food—approach as supplicants, then a gift given to such persons yields great spiritual fruit, O King.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity bears the greatest merit when directed to truly needy persons who nonetheless remain committed to ethical conduct; giving to such destitute, hungry supplicants is especially fruitful.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma advises King Yudhishthira about the hierarchy of worthy recipients of gifts, emphasizing the exceptional value of helping virtuous people who have fallen into severe poverty and hunger.