Shloka 10
Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
प्राणान् दत्त्वा कपोताय यत् प्राप्ते शिबिना पुरा । तां गतिं लभते दत्त्वा द्विजस्यान्नं विशाम्पते
prāṇān dattvā kapotāya yat prāpte śibinā purā | tāṁ gatiṁ labhate dattvā dvijasya annaṁ viśāmpate prajānātha |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai pelindung rakyat! Pada zaman dahulu Raja Śibi mencapai tujuan tertinggi dengan mengorbankan nyawanya demi seekor merpati. Demikian pula, siapa pun yang mempersembahkan makanan kepada seorang brāhmaṇa akan meraih tujuan yang sama.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse equates the spiritual merit of feeding a brāhmaṇa (anna-dāna) with the famed self-sacrifice of King Śibi for a dove, emphasizing that sincere giving—especially of essential sustenance—leads to exalted spiritual attainment.
Bhīṣma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and cites an ancient exemplar: Śibi, who gave up his life to protect a dove. Bhīṣma uses this story to praise and recommend the ethical power of giving food to a brāhmaṇa.