Shloka 20
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
दह्यमानाय विप्राय य: प्रयच्छत्युपानहौ । सस्नातकाय महाबाहो संशिताय द्विजातये
dahyamānāya viprāya yaḥ prayacchatyupānahau | sasnātakāya mahābāho saṃśitāya dvijātaye ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa! Siapa pun yang menghadiahkan sepasang alas kaki kepada seorang brāhmaṇa yang terhimpit dan seakan terbakar oleh kesusahan—terutama kepada seorang Snātaka yang baru menamatkan pendidikan suci dan hidup berdisiplin sebagai dwija—melakukan sedekah yang berpahala, meredakan derita seketika dan memuliakan martabat kaum berilmu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights practical compassion: giving even a simple necessity like sandals to an afflicted brāhmaṇa—especially a disciplined snātaka—counts as dharmic charity because it directly alleviates suffering and supports the life of study and restraint.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the fruits of various gifts. Here he singles out the merit of gifting sandals to a distressed learned person, emphasizing timely, need-based giving.