Shloka 58
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
तपस्विनस्तपोनिष्ठास्तेषां भैक्षचराश्न ये । अर्थिन: किज्चिदिच्छन्ति तेषु दत्त महाफलम्
tapasvinaḥ taponiṣṭhās teṣāṃ bhaikṣacarāśn ye | arthinaḥ kiñcid icchanti teṣu dattaṃ mahāphalam ||
Bhīṣma disse: Aqueles que são ascetas, firmemente estabelecidos na austeridade, e que vivem de esmolas recebidas apenas para o sustento de tais ascetas—quando esses suplicantes dignos pedem ainda que pouco, a dádiva que se lhes oferece produz grande fruto.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity becomes especially meritorious when given to recipients of proven discipline and purity—ascetics established in tapas and living rightly (by alms). Dharma includes discerning whom to support, not only the act of giving.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially dāna-dharma) during the Anuśāsana Parva, he explains to the listener that gifts offered to genuine ascetics who request modestly yield great spiritual reward.