Shloka 22
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
प्राचीनकालके लोग सदा यह मानते रहे हैं कि जो अश्वमेधयज्ञ करता है अथवा जो श्रेष्ठ पुरुषको पृथ्वीदान करता है, इन दोनोंमें बहुत कम अन्तर है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | api cet sukṛtaṁ kṛtvā śaṅkerann api paṇḍitāḥ | aśaṅkyam ekam evaitad bhūmidānam anuttamam ||
Bhishma dijo: En la antigua tradición se sostiene que el mérito de realizar el sacrificio del Aśvamedha y el de donar la tierra a un hombre digno difieren sólo ligeramente. Aun después de obrar con virtud, es posible que incluso los sabios duden del fruto que ello produce; pero este único acto —la dádiva de la tierra, insuperable— está más allá de toda duda: nadie puede poner en cuestión el fruto que otorga.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that while the fruits of many good deeds can be debated or doubted, the gift of land (bhūmidāna) is regarded as uniquely certain and unsurpassed in merit—so authoritative in dharma-tradition that its beneficial result is considered beyond dispute.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira about the hierarchy of meritorious acts. He contrasts grand royal rites like the Aśvamedha with charitable giving, emphasizing that land-gift to a worthy recipient is treated as an exceptionally powerful and reliable source of religious merit.