Shloka 20
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
येडपि संकीर्णकर्माणो राजानो रौद्रकर्मिण: । तेभ्य: पवित्रमाख्येयं भूमिदानमनुत्तमम्
yed api saṅkīrṇakarmāṇo rājāno raudrakarmiṇaḥ | tebhyaḥ pavitram ākhyeyaṁ bhūmidānam anuttamam ||
Bhishma disse: Mesmo aos reis cujas ações são mescladas e confusas, e que se entregam a feitos duros e violentos, deve-se proclamar o dom supremamente purificador — a doação de terras, a caridade sem par — para que sejam libertos do pecado.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even rulers inclined to harshness and sin should be instructed in the supreme purifier—donating land—because such charity is presented as a powerful means of moral purification and release from wrongdoing.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues his instruction on dharma, especially gifts and expiations. Here he emphasizes that the teaching of bhūmidāna is relevant even for violent or morally compromised kings, as a remedial path toward purification.