Shloka 102
भूमिदानं समादद्याद् वाचकाय नराधिप । भूमिदानसमं दान॑ न भूतं न भविष्यति,नरेश्वर! वाचकके लिये भूमिदान तो अवश्य ही करना चाहिये; क्योंकि भूमिदानके समान दूसरा कोई दान न हुआ है, न होगा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | bhūmidānaṃ samādadyād vācakāya narādhipa | bhūmidānasamaṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati nareśvara ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai raja, hendaknya dilakukan pula anugerah tanah bagi sang pelantun. Sebab, wahai penguasa manusia, tiada sedekah yang setara dengan sedekah tanah—tidak di masa lampau, dan tidak pula di masa depan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates bhūmidāna (donation of land) as the supreme form of charity, especially as patronage to a vācaka (reciter), emphasizing that sustaining livelihood and continuity of sacred learning is an unmatched dharmic gift.
In Vaiśampāyana’s discourse, guidance is being given to a king about proper religious giving; the instruction highlights what should be offered to the reciter connected with the narration/recitation of the epic and related rites—namely, a land-grant as the highest dakṣiṇā.