Shloka 18
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
वानप्रस्थेषु विप्रेषु त्रैविद्येषु च भारत । प्रयच्छतो<र्थात् विपुलान् वन्याश्रमपदं भवेत्,भारत! जो वानप्रस्थ, ब्राह्मणों तथा तीनों वेदके विद्वानोंको प्रचुर धन दान करता है, उसे वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमके सेवनका फल मिलता है
vānaprastheṣu vipreṣu traividyeṣu ca bhārata | prayacchato 'rthāt vipulān vanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma bersabda—Wahai Bhārata, siapa yang menganugerahkan harta berlimpah kepada para brāhmaṇa yang menjalani hidup vānaprastha serta kepada para cendekia yang menguasai tiga Veda, ia meraih pahala dan kedudukan rohani yang terkait dengan vānaprastha-āśrama.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Generous giving to disciplined brāhmaṇas—especially vānaprasthas—and to scholars of the three Vedas yields the same religious merit as practicing the vānaprastha stage oneself; supporting ascetic discipline and Vedic knowledge is a direct form of dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira about the fruits of various righteous acts, here specifying the merit gained by donating abundant wealth to forest-dwelling brāhmaṇas and Vedic experts.