Shloka 40
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
सो<यं कृत्स्नो ब्राह्मणार्थो राजार्थश्वाप्पसंशय: । राजा हि धर्मकुशल: प्रथमं भूतिलक्षणम्,यह सारी कथा ब्राह्मण और क्षत्रियके लिये है। इस विषयमें कोई संदेह नहीं है; क्योंकि राजा धर्ममें कुशल हो, यह प्रजाके ऐश्वर्य (वैभव)-को सूचित करनेवाला प्रथम लक्षण है
so ’yaṁ kṛtsno brāhmaṇārtho rājārthaś cāpy asaṁśayaḥ | rājā hi dharmakuśalaḥ prathamaṁ bhūtilakṣaṇam ||
भीष्म उवाच— सोऽयं कृत्स्नो ब्राह्मणार्थो राजार्थश्चाप्यसंशयः। राजा हि धर्मकुशलः प्रथमं भूतिलक्षणम्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A society’s prosperity is rooted in righteous governance: the foremost indicator of public welfare is a ruler who is competent and steady in dharma. The instruction is framed as beneficial both to Brahmins (custodians of learning and ritual order) and to kings (agents of protection and administration).
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his counsel on dharma. Here he explicitly states that the discourse is directed to the welfare of both Brahmins and rulers, and he highlights a practical criterion of flourishing: a king who understands and upholds dharma.