Shloka 16
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
प्राणदानात् परं दानं न भूतं न भविष्यति । न हात्मन: प्रियतरं किंचिदस्तीह निश्चितम्
prāṇadānāt paraṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati | na hi ātmanaḥ priyataram kiñcid astīha niścitam |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Tiada pemberian yang mengatasi pemberian nyawa; tidak pernah ada dan tidak akan ada. Kerana di dunia ini, pasti tiada sesuatu yang lebih dikasihi seseorang daripada dirinya sendiri (nyawanya sendiri).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest form of charity is prāṇadāna—protecting or giving life—because one’s own life is the dearest possession; therefore relinquishing it (or risking it) for another is the supreme ethical gift.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira about the hierarchy of gifts and virtues, emphasizing that saving or giving life surpasses all other forms of giving.