Shloka 56
अत्युक्रान्ताश्व धर्मेषु पाषण्डसमयेषु च । कृशप्राणा: कृशधनास्तेभ्यो दत्त महाफलम्
atyukrāntāśva dharmeṣu pāṣaṇḍa-samayeṣu ca | kṛśa-prāṇāḥ kṛśa-dhanās tebhyo dattaṃ mahā-phalam ||
Dijo Bhishma: Las dádivas ofrecidas a quienes se mantienen lejos de credos heréticos o fraudulentos, y que están debilitados por falta de alimento y pobres en recursos, producen un fruto espiritual inmenso. La enseñanza es que la caridad es más meritoria cuando sostiene a los necesitados y rectos, y no a la impostura.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity bears the greatest merit when directed to the truly needy—those impoverished and weakened by lack of food—especially when they are not aligned with deceptive or heretical religious pretences. The verse emphasizes discernment in giving and prioritizing genuine suffering and integrity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, including the ethics of dāna (giving). Here he highlights which recipients make a gift highly fruitful: the poor and hungry who remain distant from pāṣaṇḍa (religious imposture).