Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
पानीयदानात् प्रभृति सर्व वक्ष्यामि तेडनघ । यदन्नं यच्च पानीयं सम्प्रदायाश्षुते नर:,अनघ! जलदानसे लेकर सब प्रकारके दानोंका फल मैं तुम्हें बताऊँगा। मनुष्य अन्न और जलका दान करके जिस फलको पाता है, वह सुनो
Bhīṣma uvāca | pānīya-dānāt prabhṛti sarvaṁ vakṣyāmi te 'n-agha | yad annaṁ yac ca pānīyaṁ sampradāyāśnute naraḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai yang tidak berdosa, bermula dengan sedekah air, aku akan memberitahumu buah bagi setiap jenis pemberian. Dengarlah ganjaran yang diperoleh seseorang dengan memberi makanan dan memberi air.”
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma frames water-giving and food-giving as foundational acts of dharma, promising to explain the specific spiritual and ethical fruits (merit and well-being) that arise from different forms of charity.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and begins a structured teaching on dāna, starting with the gift of water and then moving to the results of giving food and other gifts.