Shloka 22
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
ततो>न्न॑ जायते विप्र मनुष्याणां सुखावहम् । अन्न प्राणा इति यथा वेदेषु परिपठ्यते
tato 'nnaṁ jāyate vipra manuṣyāṇāṁ sukhāvaham | annaṁ prāṇā iti yathā vedeṣu paripaṭhyate ||
“Wahai brahmana, dari (hujan) itulah lahir makanan—makanan yang membawa kebahagiaan dan kesejahteraan bagi manusia. Sungguh, ‘makanan adalah napas kehidupan (prāṇa),’ sebagaimana berulang kali dilantunkan dalam Weda.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human welfare depends on the chain of sustenance: rain enables the growth of food, and food is equated with prāṇa (life). Therefore, supporting conditions for food production and distribution is a dharmic priority, validated by Vedic testimony.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing on dharma and social good. Here he emphasizes the fundamental importance of rainfall and food for human happiness, citing the Vedas to underscore that food sustains life itself.