Shloka 29
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
किन्नरोरगरक्षांसि देवगन्धर्वमानवा: । तथा ऋषिगणाश्रैव संश्रयन्ति महीरुहान्
kinnaroragarakṣāṃsi devagandharvamānavāḥ | tathā ṛṣigaṇāś caiva saṃśrayanti mahīruhān ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Les Kinnaras, les Nāgas, les Rākṣasas, les dieux, les Gandharvas et les hommes —et de même les cohortes de Ṛṣis— prennent refuge auprès des grands arbres.» Dans le cadre moral de l’enseignement, le verset exalte l’arbre comme abri universel, honoré par tous les ordres d’êtres, et suggère la valeur dharmique de protéger et d’entretenir de telles sources de refuge.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That great trees function as universal refuges for all kinds of beings; therefore, protecting and honoring such shelters aligns with dharma and the ethic of sustaining life.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Anuśāsana Parva, lists many classes of beings—celestial, human, and non-human—who all resort to great trees for shelter, emphasizing their shared reliance on them.