Shloka 26
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
ब्राह्मणस्य हि दत्तेन ध्रुवं स्वर्गो हानुत्तम: । शक्य: प्राप्तुंविशेषेण दानं हि महती क्रिया
brāhmaṇasya hi dattena dhruvaṃ svargo hy anuttamaḥ | śakyaḥ prāptuṃ viśeṣeṇa dānaṃ hi mahatī kriyā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «En faisant un don à un brāhmaṇa, on atteint à coup sûr le ciel sans égal. En vérité, c’est d’une manière particulière et décisive que l’on peut parvenir au ciel par un tel don, car le dāna (la donation généreuse) est un acte de mérite immense et lourd de conséquences.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dāna (charitable giving), particularly to a worthy brāhmaṇa as framed in dharma-śāstra ethics, is a powerful meritorious act that reliably leads to the attainment of svarga; generosity is presented as a major religious-ethical duty with tangible spiritual results.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma while lying on the bed of arrows. Here he emphasizes the efficacy of charitable giving, praising donation as a great act that grants superior heavenly reward.