Shloka 6
दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च
Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food
स्वकर्मवोपजीवन्ति नरा इह परत्र च । भूमिर्भूतिर्महादेवी दातारं कुरुते प्रियम्
svakarmavopajīvanti narā iha paratra ca | bhūmir bhūtir mahādevī dātāraṃ kurute priyam ||
பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்—மனிதர்கள் இவ்வுலகிலும் மறுலோகிலும் தங்கள் தர்மத்திற்கேற்ற செயல்களாலேயே வாழ்வைத் தாங்குகின்றனர். செல்வமே வடிவான மகாதேவியான பூமி, தானம் செய்பவரைத் தன் பிரியனாக்குகிறாள்।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links two pillars of dharma: sustaining oneself through one’s own rightful work (svakarma) and practicing generosity (dāna). Right livelihood supports both worldly stability and otherworldly merit, and giving aligns one with the Earth’s sustaining, prosperity-bestowing power.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on conduct—emphasizing that people should live by their proper duties and that the Earth, personified as a great goddess of prosperity, becomes favorable to those who give.