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 ||
Бхишма сказал: Те, кто — подвижники, твёрдо утверждённые в аскезе, и живут милостыней, принимаемой лишь ради жизни таких подвижников, — когда такие достойные просители просят даже малого, подаяние, данное им, приносит великий плод.
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.