Shloka 74
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
दाता दशानुगृह्नाति दश हन्ति तथा क्षिपन् | पूर्वदत्ता हरन् भूमिं नरकायोपगच्छति
bhīṣma uvāca | dātā daśānugṛhṇāti daśa hanti tathā kṣipan | pūrvadattāṃ haran bhūmiṃ narakāyopagacchati ||
Bhishma berkata: “Pemberi dana tanah mengangkat sepuluh generasi; tetapi orang yang telah memberi lalu merampas kembali, membinasakan sepuluh generasi. Barangsiapa merebut tanah yang telah lebih dahulu didanakan, ia menuju neraka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Land-giving (bhūmi-dāna) is a powerful meritorious act benefiting one’s lineage, but retracting a gift or seizing previously donated land is a grave adharma that brings ruin to one’s line and leads to hell.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about the moral weight of gifts—especially land-grants—warning against the severe consequences of taking back what has been given.