Shloka 26
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
अतीतानागते चोभे पितृवंशं च भारत । तारयेद् वृक्षरोपी च तस्माद् वक्षांश्ष रोपयेत्
atītānāgate cobhe pitṛvaṁśaṁ ca bhārata | tārayet vṛkṣaropī ca tasmād vṛkṣāṁś ca ropayet bharatanandana ||
Ô Bhārata ! Celui qui plante des arbres devient le sauveur de ceux qui sont passés et de ceux qui doivent encore venir, ainsi que de toute la lignée des ancêtres. C’est pourquoi, ô joie des Bhāratas, il faut assurément planter des arbres.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Planting trees is presented as a powerful dharmic act whose benefit extends beyond the individual to ancestors, descendants, and the whole lineage—an ethical duty with long-term, life-sustaining consequences.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and merit-producing deeds, here emphasizing tree-planting as a means of welfare and spiritual uplift for one’s family line across time.