Shloka 13
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
य एतां विदुषे दद्यात् पृथिवीं पृथिवीपति: । पृथिव्यामेतदिष्टं स राजा राज्यमितो व्रजेत्
ya etāṁ viduṣe dadyāt pṛthivīṁ pṛthivīpatiḥ | pṛthivyām etad iṣṭaṁ sa rājā rājyam ito vrajet ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Si un señor de la tierra entregara esta misma tierra como don a un destinatario erudito, entonces ese rey—porque este don es tenido por el más querido sobre la tierra—partiría de aquí habiendo alcanzado (de nuevo) su realeza. La enseñanza subraya el mérito extraordinario de donar tierras a un brāhmaṇa digno y sabio, y la creencia dhármica de que tal generosidad restaura la prosperidad y la soberanía legítima.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that donating land (pṛthivīdāna) to a truly learned and worthy recipient is among the most cherished gifts in the world and is believed to yield powerful merit—so powerful that it can restore a king’s prosperity and sovereignty.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma and gifts, states a rule of merit: when a king gives the earth/land to a learned person, that act is especially esteemed and leads the king, upon departing this life, to attain or regain kingship and well-being.