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 ||
ビーシュマは言った。「大臂の者よ、苦難に焼かれるがごとく困窮するバラモンに一足の履物を施す者—とりわけ、学業を終えたばかりで戒律に鍛えられたスナータカ（Snātaka）の二度生まれに与える者—は大いなる功徳の布施をなす。即座に苦を和らげ、学識ある者の尊厳を讃えるのである。」
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.