Shloka 11
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
अपि पापकृतां राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्लन्ति साधव: । पृथिवीं नान्यदिच्छन्ति पावनं जननी यथा
api pāpakṛtāṁ rājñāṁ pratigṛhṇanti sādhavaḥ | pṛthivīṁ nānyad icchanti pāvanaṁ jananī yathā ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Mesmo de reis que cometem atos pecaminosos, os justos podem aceitar a dádiva de terra; mas não desejam aceitar qualquer outro tipo de presente. Pois a terra é uma dádiva purificadora—pura como a própria mãe.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes between gifts: land (pṛthivī) is uniquely purifying and may be accepted even from morally compromised rulers, whereas other gifts are to be avoided by the righteous. The verse elevates the earth as intrinsically sanctifying, comparable to a mother.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and dāna, Bhīṣma advises on what kinds of gifts virtuous people may accept. He states that even if a king is sinful, the righteous may accept land from him, but they refrain from taking other possessions.