Shloka 13
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
य एतां विदुषे दद्यात् पृथिवीं पृथिवीपति: । पृथिव्यामेतदिष्टं स राजा राज्यमितो व्रजेत्
ya etāṁ viduṣe dadyāt pṛthivīṁ pṛthivīpatiḥ | pṛthivyām etad iṣṭaṁ sa rājā rājyam ito vrajet ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Jika seorang penguasa bumi menganugerahkan tanah ini kepada seorang brāhmaṇa yang berilmu, maka raja itu—karena derma tanah dipandang paling dicintai di muka bumi—akan berangkat dari sini dengan memperoleh kembali kerajaannya. Ajaran ini menegaskan keutamaan luar biasa dari mendermakan tanah kepada brāhmaṇa yang layak dan berpengetahuan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that donating land (pṛthivīdāna) to a truly learned and worthy recipient is among the most cherished gifts in the world and is believed to yield powerful merit—so powerful that it can restore a king’s prosperity and sovereignty.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma and gifts, states a rule of merit: when a king gives the earth/land to a learned person, that act is especially esteemed and leads the king, upon departing this life, to attain or regain kingship and well-being.