Shloka 21
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
निवापदानसलिलस्तादृशेषु युधिष्ठिर । निवसन् पूजयंश्लैव तेष्वानृण्यं नियच्छति
nivāpadānasalilas tādṛśeṣu yudhiṣṭhira | nivasan pūjayaṁś caiva teṣv ānṛṇyaṁ niyacchati ||
Bhishma said: “O Yudhishthira, one who provides such people with the ‘water’ of gifts—like an offering of tarpaṇa libation—and who lets them dwell with him while honoring them, thereby gains freedom from indebtedness. Therefore, keep those Brahmanas mentioned earlier satisfied, as one satisfies the Pitrs with tarpaṇa, by the water of charity; give them residence and respectful regard. By doing so, a man is released from the debts owed to the gods and others.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity and respectful hospitality—especially toward worthy Brahmanas—functions like a sacred libation (tarpaṇa): it ‘satisfies’ them and helps the giver discharge moral and ritual obligations (ṛṇa), leading to ānṛṇya, freedom from debt to devas, ancestors, and other claimants of duty.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he urges Yudhishthira to support and honor the previously described Brahmanas by giving them residence and gifts, comparing such giving to the ancestral rite of tarpaṇa, and stating that this conduct frees one from obligations.