Shloka 18
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
(एकागारकरीं दत्त्वा षष्टिसाहस्रमूर्थध्वग: । तावत्या हरणे पृथ्व्या नरकं द्विगुणोत्तरम् ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ekāgārakarīṁ dattvā ṣaṣṭisāhasram ūrdhvagaḥ | tāvatyā haraṇe pṛthvyā narakaṁ dviguṇottaram || yasya viprās tu śaṁsanti sādhór bhūmiṁ sadaiva hi | na tasya śatravo rājan praśaṁsanti vasuṁdharām ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Celui qui donne assez de terre pour bâtir une seule maison s’élève vers les mondes supérieurs et y demeure soixante mille ans. Mais celui qui s’empare d’une mesure égale de terre doit demeurer en enfer pendant un temps deux fois plus long. Ô Roi, le don de terre de cet homme vertueux, que les brahmanes louent sans cesse, n’est pas loué par ses ennemis ; ainsi, l’approbation des justes est la véritable mesure d’un tel mérite.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Donating land—especially a house-site—is presented as a high merit leading to long residence in higher worlds, while unlawfully taking the same amount brings a doubled period of suffering in hell. The verse stresses proportional karmic consequence and the sanctity of property and gifts.
Bhishma, instructing the king on dharma, contrasts the fruit of bhūmidāna (land-gift) with the punishment for land-seizure. He adds that the lasting validation of such a gift comes from the praise of Brahmins and the righteous, not from political opponents.