Shloka 55
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
ब॒हस्पतिर्वाच सुवर्णदानं गोदानं भूमिदानं च वृत्रहन् (विद्यादानं च कन्यानां दानं पापहरं परम् ।) दददेतान् महाप्राज्ञ: सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते
bṛhaspatir uvāca suvarṇadānaṁ godānaṁ bhūmidānaṁ ca vṛtrahan (vidyādānaṁ ca kanyānāṁ dānaṁ pāpaharaṁ param) dadad etān mahāprājñaḥ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate
Bṛhaspati bersabda: “Wahai Indra, pembunuh Vṛtra! Derma emas, derma sapi, dan derma tanah—serta derma pengetahuan dan pemberian putri dalam pernikahan—dipandang sebagai pemusnah dosa yang paling utama. Orang yang sungguh bijaksana, yang memberikan semua derma itu, terbebas dari segala dosa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain forms of dāna—gold, cows, land, knowledge, and kanyādāna—are considered exceptionally powerful for moral purification, and that a wise giver is said to be freed from sins through such generosity.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse on dharma, a statement attributed to Bṛhaspati is cited, addressed to Indra (called Vṛtrahan), listing major meritorious gifts and asserting their sin-destroying efficacy.