Shloka 53
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अकल्ककस्य विप्रस्य रौक्ष्यात् करकृतात्मन: । वटवो यस्य भिक्षन्ति तेभ्यो दत्त महाफलम्
akalkakasya viprasya raukṣyāt karakṛtātmanaḥ | vaṭavo yasya bhikṣanti tebhyo dattaṃ mahāphalam ||
Bhishma dit : Lorsqu’un brāhmane sans ruse, endurci par l’extrême pauvreté, reçoit dans ses mains un peu de nourriture et que ses enfants affamés le supplient aussitôt : « Donne-moi, donne-moi », le don fait à ce brāhmane et à ces enfants porte un très grand fruit spirituel.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity directed to the truly needy—especially a guileless, impoverished brāhmaṇa and his hungry children—produces great merit; the recipient’s innocence and distress intensify the ethical value of the gift.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma of giving, describing a destitute brāhmaṇa whose children immediately beg for any food he obtains, and declaring that giving to such a household is supremely fruitful.