Shloka 10
भोजनादेव लोकांस्त्रींस्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् | दीप: सर्वस्य लोकस्य चक्षुश्क्षुष्मतामपि
bhojanād eva lokāṁs trīn trāyante mahato bhayāt | dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuḥ cakṣuṣmatām api ||
भीष्म ने कहा—केवल भोजन कराने से ही ब्राह्मण तीनों लोकों की महान् भय से रक्षा करते हैं। वे समस्त जगत् के लिए दीपक के समान प्रकाशक हैं और नेत्रवानों के भी नेत्र हैं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates anna-dāna (the gift of food) as a world-sustaining dharma: supporting Brahmins through feeding is portrayed as protecting society from great fear, because Brahmins embody and transmit sacred knowledge and moral discernment—like a lamp and like eyesight.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on gifts and duties, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira the ethical power of charity. Here he praises feeding (especially of Brahmins) as a supreme act whose benefit extends beyond the giver and recipient to the stability and well-being of the three worlds.