Shloka 78
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
नाच्छिन्द्यात् स्पर्शितां भूमिं परेण त्रिदशाधिप । ब्राह्मणस्य सुरश्रेष्ठ कृशवृत्ते: कदाचन
na cchindyāt sparśitāṁ bhūmiṁ pareṇa tridaśādhipa | brāhmaṇasya suraśreṣṭha kṛśavṛtteḥ kadācana ||
नाच्छिन्द्यात् स्पर्शितां भूमिं परेण त्रिदशाधिप । ब्राह्मणस्य सुरश्रेष्ठ कृशवृत्तेः कदाचन ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or powerful person must not dispossess a needy Brāhmaṇa of land that sustains him, especially land received as a gift; protecting the vulnerable and honoring lawful gifts is presented as dharma.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Indra with a moral rule: even divine or royal authority should not override the security of a poor Brāhmaṇa’s livelihood by confiscating gifted land.