Shloka 8
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
स्थण्डिलेषु शयानानां गृहाणि शयनानि च । चीरवल्कलसंवीते वासांस्याभरणानि च,जो वानप्रस्थी वेदीपर शयन करते हैं उन्हें जन्मान्तरमें उत्तम गृह और शग्याकी प्राप्ति होती है। जो चीर और वल्कल वस्त्र पहनते हैं उन्हें दूसरे जन्ममें उत्तम वस्त्र और उत्तम आभूषणोंकी प्राप्ति होती है
sthaṇḍileṣu śayānānāṃ gṛhāṇi śayanāni ca | cīravalakalasaṃvīte vāsāṃsy ābharaṇāni ca ||
Bhīṣma disse: Aqueles que, como ascetas moradores da floresta, dormem sobre o chão nu são recompensados em um nascimento posterior com excelentes casas e leitos confortáveis. E os que se vestem com casca de árvore e trapos alcançam, em outra vida, belas vestes e ornamentos dignos. Assim se ensina que a austeridade e a simplicidade voluntárias, abraçadas conforme o dharma, produzem fruto auspicioso.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Voluntary austerity practiced in accordance with dharma—such as sleeping on the ground and wearing simple bark or rags—generates merit that ripens as comfort and prosperity in a later birth. The verse links self-restraint and simplicity with karmic reward.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma and the fruits of ascetic disciplines associated with the forest-dweller (vānaprastha) way of life, explaining how specific practices lead to corresponding auspicious results in future existence.