Shloka 266
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
न सीदति स कृच्छेषु न च दुर्गाण्यवाप्रुते । जिसको खोदखादकर खराब न कर दिया गया हो, ऐसे प्रादेशमात्र भूभागका भी जो दान करता है, वह न तो कभी दुर्गम संकटोंमें पड़ता है और न पड़नेपर कभी दुःखी ही होता है
na sīdati sa kṛcchreṣu na ca durgāṇy avāpnute |
Bhīṣma said: One who gives even a small tract of land that has not been dug up and ruined does not sink in times of hardship; nor does he fall into perilous difficulties—and even if such difficulties arise, he does not become miserable. The teaching is that a gift should be wholesome and undamaged, and that righteous giving becomes a protection in adversity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A gift should be sound and not deliberately damaged; giving such wholesome land (even a small portion) yields protective merit, so the giver does not succumb to hardships or perilous crises.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, especially the fruits and proper standards of dāna. Here he states the beneficial consequence of donating an undamaged piece of land: freedom from crushing distress and dangerous predicaments.