Shloka 25
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
इतो दत्तेन जीवन्ति देवा: पितृगणास्तथा । मानुषोरगरक्षांसि वयांसि पशवस्तथा,इन्हींके दिये हुए अन्नसे देवता, पितर, मनुष्य, सर्प, राक्षस और पशु-पक्षी--सबकी जीविका चलती है
ito dattena jīvanti devāḥ pitṛgaṇās tathā | mānuṣoragarakṣāṃsi vayāṃsi paśavas tathā ||
Bhīṣma said: From what is given here—by charity and by offering—the gods and the hosts of the ancestors live; so too do human beings, serpents, rākṣasas, birds, and beasts. Thus the giving of sustenance upholds the whole web of life and stands as a central pillar of dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That giving—especially the giving of food and resources—sustains not only human society but the entire cosmic and ecological order, including gods and ancestors; therefore dāna is a foundational duty within dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes the universal dependence on what is offered and given, framing charity and offerings as the support of all classes of beings.