Shloka 72
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
ओषधीर्वीर्यसम्पन्ना नगान् पुष्पफलान्वितान् । काननोपलशैलांश्व ददाति वसुधां ददत्
oṣadhīr vīryasampannā nagān puṣpaphalānvitān | kānanopalśailāṃś ca dadāti vasudhāṃ dadat ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Quand un homme fait don de la terre, on comprend qu’il donne avec elle les herbes médicinales pleines de vigueur, les arbres chargés de fleurs et de fruits, les forêts, les rochers et les montagnes.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The gift of land (vasudhā-dāna) is comprehensive: it includes not only the ground but also the herbs, fruit-bearing trees, forests, stones, and mountains connected with it. Therefore it is a major act of charity with broad ethical and social significance.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dāna-dharma (the duty and principles of giving), he explains the scope of ‘giving land’ by listing the natural resources and features that are implicitly transferred along with the land.