Shloka 64
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
सुकृच्छामापदं प्राप्तश्नान्नद: पुरुषस्तरेत् । पापं तरति चैवेह दुष्कृतं चापकर्षति,अन्नदाता मनुष्य कठिन-से-कठिन आपत्तिमें पड़नेपर भी उस आपत्तिसे पार हो जाता है। वह पापसे उद्धार पा जाता है और भविष्यमें होनेवाले दुष्कर्मोका भी नाश कर देता है
sukṛcchrām āpadaṃ prāptaś chānna-daḥ puruṣas taret | pāpaṃ tarati caiveha duṣkṛtaṃ cāpakarṣati ||
सुकृच्छामापदं प्राप्तोऽन्नदः पुरुषस्तरेत् । पापं तरति चैवेह दुष्कृतं चापकर्षति ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma states that giving food is a powerful dharmic act: it helps the giver overcome severe adversity, purifies existing sin, and diminishes the force of future wrongdoing by strengthening merit and ethical disposition.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira about the fruits of charity. Here he highlights anna-dāna as especially efficacious, portraying it as a safeguard in times of crisis and a means of moral cleansing.