Shloka 47
यथा सस्यानि रोहन्ति प्रकीर्णानि महीतले । तथा कामा: प्ररोहन्ति भूमिदानसमार्जिता:
yathā sasyāni rohanti prakīrṇāni mahītale | tathā kāmāḥ prarohanti bhūmidānasamārjitāḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Just as scattered seeds sprout when they lie upon the earth, so do desires spring up again—those that have been gathered and fostered through the merit and prosperity gained by gifting land. The wealth and satisfaction produced by such gifts can, if unchecked, become fresh soil for renewed craving.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma uses an agrarian simile to warn that prosperity and merit connected with great gifts (like land-donation) can still become a cause for renewed craving. Ethical giving should be joined with inner restraint; otherwise, the very conditions created by merit may nourish fresh desires.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including the fruits and nuances of dāna. Here he frames a caution: like seeds scattered on soil, desires can re-emerge and multiply when supported by the gains and satisfactions that come from meritorious acts such as gifting land.