Shloka 40
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
पूर्णचन्द्रप्रतिकाशा दीपदाश्व॒ भवन्त्युत
pūrṇacandra-pratikāśā dīpadāś ca bhavanty uta | dīpadānaṃ karṇevāle manuṣya niścaya hī pūrṇa-candramā ke samāna kāntimān hote haiṃ | jitne palakoṃ ke girne-tak dīpaka jalte haiṃ utne varṣoṃ-tak dīpadāna karṇevālā manuṣya rūpavān aur balavān hotā hai ||
ビーシュマは言った。「灯明を施す者は満月のように輝く。まことに、灯明の布施を行う人は月のごとき光彩を得る。灯が燃え続けるその刹那—まばたき一つに至るまで—その数に等しい年のあいだ、施主は美しさと力とを具えるのである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dīpadāna (gifting a lamp) is a powerful dharmic charity: the giver gains moonlike radiance, along with beauty and strength, in proportion to the lamp’s burning—linking the act of giving light with the reward of personal brilliance and vigor.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by describing the fruits of specific gifts; here he extols the merit of offering a lamp, presenting it as an exemplary, accessible form of charity.