Shloka 12
इमं च ब्रह्मलोक॑ च लोक॑ च बलवत्तरम् | अन्नदानै: सुकृतिन: प्रतिपद्यन्ति लौकिका:
imaṁ ca brahmalokaṁ ca lokaṁ ca balavattaram | annadānaiḥ sukṛtinaḥ pratipadyanti laukikāḥ |
Bhishma disse: “Pelo ato meritório de oferecer alimento, os virtuosos alcançam tanto este mundo quanto o mundo de Brahmā (Brahmaloka); e, de fato, asseguram uma condição mundana ainda mais poderosa e próspera. O ensinamento é que o annadāna (alimentar os outros) não é mera caridade, mas um fundamento do dharma, que fortalece a vida aqui e conduz a destinos espirituais elevados.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That annadāna—giving food—is a highly potent dharmic act: it yields tangible well-being and strength in this life and also leads to exalted posthumous attainments such as Brahmaloka. The verse elevates feeding others as a primary form of charity with both ethical and spiritual consequences.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is teaching about the fruits of charitable acts. Here he specifically praises the merit of giving food, stating that virtuous people attain prosperity in this world and reach Brahmā’s realm through such giving.