Shloka 19
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
यत् किंचित् पुरुष: पापं कुरुते वृत्तिकर्शित: । अपि गोचर्ममात्रेण भूमिदानेन पूयते
yat kiñcit puruṣaḥ pāpaṃ kurute vṛttikarśitaḥ | api gocarmamātreṇa bhūmidānena pūyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : Quel que soit le péché qu’un homme commette lorsqu’il y est poussé par la dureté de gagner sa subsistance—pressé et usé par le manque—il peut être purifié par le don de terre, fût-elle seulement de la mesure d’une peau de vache.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sins committed under the compulsion of poverty and livelihood-pressure are treated with moral compassion, and a concrete act of charity—especially gifting land, even a very small measure—serves as a powerful means of purification and ethical repair.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he explains to his listener that hardship can drive people into wrongdoing, and he recommends land-gift (bhūmi-dāna) as an expiatory, purifying act that restores merit.