Shloka 8
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
माघमासे तिलान् यस्तु ब्राह्मणेभ्य: प्रयच्छति । सर्वसत्त्वसमाकीर्ण नरकं स न पश्यति,जो माघ मासमें ब्राह्मणोंको तिल दान करता है, वह समस्त जन्तुओंसे भरे हुए नरकका दर्शन नहीं करता
bhīṣma uvāca | māghamāse tilān yas tu brāhmaṇebhyaḥ prayacchati | sarvasattvasamākīrṇaṃ narakaṃ sa na paśyati |
Bhīṣma said: “Whoever, in the month of Māgha, gives sesame seeds in charity to Brāhmaṇas does not behold that hell which is crowded with all manner of creatures.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Timely charity—here, gifting sesame seeds during Māgha to Brāhmaṇas—is upheld as a powerful dharmic act that generates merit and is said to protect one from severe post-mortem suffering (naraka).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Bhīṣma continues advising on dharma by listing specific forms of dāna and their fruits; this verse highlights the merit of donating tilāḥ in the month of Māgha.