Shloka 29
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
किन्नरोरगरक्षांसि देवगन्धर्वमानवा: । तथा ऋषिगणाश्रैव संश्रयन्ति महीरुहान्
kinnaroragarakṣāṃsi devagandharvamānavāḥ | tathā ṛṣigaṇāś caiva saṃśrayanti mahīruhān ||
Bhīṣma said: “Kinnaras, Nāgas, Rākṣasas, the gods, Gandharvas, and human beings—likewise the hosts of Ṛṣis as well—take refuge in great trees.” In the ethical frame of the discourse, the verse highlights the tree as a universal shelter, honored across all orders of beings, implying the dharmic value of protecting and sustaining such sources of refuge.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That great trees function as universal refuges for all kinds of beings; therefore, protecting and honoring such shelters aligns with dharma and the ethic of sustaining life.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Anuśāsana Parva, lists many classes of beings—celestial, human, and non-human—who all resort to great trees for shelter, emphasizing their shared reliance on them.