Shloka 24
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
तपो यज्ञ: श्रुते शीलमलोभ: सत्यसंधता । गुरुदैवतपूजा च एता वर्तन्ति भूमिदम्
Bhīṣma uvāca: tapo yajñaḥ śrute śīlam alobhaḥ satyasaṃdhatā | gurudaivatapūjā ca etā vartanti bhūmidam ||
Bhishma dijo: Para el hombre que dona tierras, vienen a morar en él los frutos de la austeridad, del sacrificio, del saber sagrado, de la buena conducta, de la ausencia de codicia, de la firmeza en la verdad, del servicio reverente al maestro y de la adoración a los dioses. Así se alaba la dádiva de la tierra como sostén íntegro del dharma, que reúne muchas virtudes en un solo acto meritorio.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that donating land is an especially weighty form of charity: it is said to confer the combined fruits of multiple dharmic practices—ascetic discipline, sacrificial duty, sacred learning, good conduct, non-greed, truthfulness, reverence to the teacher, and worship of the gods.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma and gifts, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by praising bhūmidāna (the gift of land), stating that the donor gains the merit of several key virtues and religious observances.