Shloka 27
मृत्युरवैकिड्करो दण्डस्तमो वह्नि: सुदारुण: | घोराश्न॒ दारुणा: पाशा नोपसर्पन्ति भूमिदम्,कालकी भेजी हुई मौत, दण्ड, तमोगुण, दारुण अग्नि और अत्यन्त भयंकर पाश--ये भूमिदान करनेवाले पुरुषका स्पर्श नहीं कर सकते हैं
mṛtyur avaikidkaro daṇḍas tamo vahniḥ sudāruṇaḥ | ghorāśna dāruṇāḥ pāśā nopasarpanti bhūmidam ||
मृत्युरवैकीड्करो दण्डस्तमो वह्निः सुदारुणः । घोराश्च दारुणाः पाशा नोपसर्पन्ति भूमिदम् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that bhūmi-dāna (donation of land) is an exceptionally powerful act of dharma whose merit protects the donor from fearful afflictions—symbolized by death, punishment, darkness, fire, and binding nooses—i.e., from severe suffering and adverse karmic outcomes.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, especially the fruits of various gifts. Here he extols land-giving by declaring that terrifying forces cannot come near the giver of land, emphasizing the superior spiritual efficacy of this form of charity.