Shloka 17
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
तडागे यस्य गावस्तु पिबन्ति तृषिता जलम् | मृगपक्षिमनुष्याश्व सो5श्वमेधफलं लभेत्,जिसके तालाबमें प्यासी गौएँ पानी पीती हैं तथा मृग, पक्षी और मनुष्योंको भी जल सुलभ होता है, वह अश्वमेध यज्ञका फल पाता है
taḍāge yasya gāvas tu pibanti tṛṣitā jalam | mṛga-pakṣi-manuṣyāśva so ’śvamedha-phalaṁ labhet ||
Bhishma said: “Whoever has a pond from which thirsty cows drink, and where water is likewise made readily available to wild animals, birds, human beings, and horses, attains merit equal to that of the Aśvamedha sacrifice. The teaching exalts compassionate provision of water for all beings as a supreme dharmic act, comparable to the highest royal rites.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Providing accessible water to all beings—cows, animals, birds, humans, and horses—is presented as an exceptionally high form of dharma, yielding merit comparable to the grand Aśvamedha sacrifice. The verse prioritizes compassionate, life-sustaining public service over mere ritual grandeur.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the fruits of charitable acts. Here he praises the construction or maintenance of a pond that relieves thirst for many beings, declaring its spiritual reward to be as great as that of an Aśvamedha.