Shloka 5
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
अप्यल्पं प्रददुः सर्वे पृथिव्या इति नः श्रुतम् । भूमिमेव ददुः सर्वे भूमिं ते भुञज्जते जना:
apy alpaṁ pradaduḥ sarve pṛthivyā iti naḥ śrutam | bhūmim eva daduḥ sarve bhūmiṁ te bhuñjate janāḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Nous avons entendu dire que même ceux qui n’ont donné qu’un tout petit lopin de terre obtiennent le fruit entier du don de la terre. En vérité, tous ceux qui donnent de la terre sont tenus pour avoir donné “la Terre” elle-même ; et c’est cette même terre que les hommes goûtent (dans l’au-delà) comme récompense.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a small gift of land yields the full merit of land-donation; giving land is treated as giving the earth itself, and the donor enjoys that reward.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma and gifts, cites received tradition (śruti/report) to emphasize the exceptional spiritual efficacy of bhūmi-dāna.