Shloka 6
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
स्वकर्मवोपजीवन्ति नरा इह परत्र च । भूमिर्भूतिर्महादेवी दातारं कुरुते प्रियम्
svakarmavopajīvanti narā iha paratra ca | bhūmir bhūtir mahādevī dātāraṃ kurute priyam ||
Bhishma dit : «Les hommes vivent de leurs propres actes justes, ici-bas comme dans l’au-delà. La Terre, la grande déesse qui est la prospérité même, rend le donateur cher à son cœur.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links two pillars of dharma: sustaining oneself through one’s own rightful work (svakarma) and practicing generosity (dāna). Right livelihood supports both worldly stability and otherworldly merit, and giving aligns one with the Earth’s sustaining, prosperity-bestowing power.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on conduct—emphasizing that people should live by their proper duties and that the Earth, personified as a great goddess of prosperity, becomes favorable to those who give.