Shloka 9
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
पुनाति दत्ता पृथिवी दातारमिति शुश्रुम
punāti dattā pṛthivī dātāram iti śuśruma | dānena dīyā pṛthivī dātāraṃ pavitraṃ karotīti | kito'pi mahān pāpācārī brahmahā ca asatyavādī vā bhavet, dānena dattā pṛthivī eva dātuḥ pāpaṃ dhāvayitvā sarvathā pāpamuktaṃ karoti |
Bhishma berkata: “Kami telah mendengar bahwa tanah, bila disedekahkan, menyucikan sang pemberi. Sekalipun seseorang adalah pendosa besar—bersalah atas pembunuhan brahmana dan terbiasa berdusta—tanah yang dianugerahkan sebagai dana membasuh dosanya dan membebaskannya sepenuhnya dari noda adharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the exceptional purificatory power attributed to dāna—specifically gifting land. It presents land-gift as a potent means of cleansing even grave moral faults, emphasizing generosity and relinquishment as central to dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he cites received tradition (“we have heard”) to assert that donating land purifies the donor, even one burdened with severe sins such as brahmin-slaying and habitual falsehood.