Shloka 70

दानफलप्रकरणम् — उपानहदानं, तिलदानं, भूमिदानं, गोदानं, अन्नदानं च

Gifts and Their Stated Results: Footwear, Sesame, Land, Cows, and Food

Devanagari script

सागरान्‌ सरित: शैलान्‌ काननानि च सर्वश: । सर्वमेतन्नर: शक्र ददाति वसुधां ददत्‌

Transliteration

sāgarān saritaḥ śailān kānanāni ca sarvaśaḥ | sarvam etan naraḥ śakra dadāti vasudhāṃ dadat ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—హే శక్రా! ఎవడు వసుధను దానమిచ్చునో, వాడు సముద్రాలు, నదులు, పర్వతాలు, అరణ్యాలు అన్నిటినీ సమగ్రంగా దానమిచ్చినవాడగును; భూమిదానంలో ఇవన్నీ అంతర్భూతములు.

Word by Word

• सागरान्: oceans
• सागरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• शैलान्: mountains
• शैलान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• काननानि: forests
• काननानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सर्वशः: entirely; in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

• सर्वम्: all (this)
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्र: O Śakra (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ददाति: gives
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वसुधाम्: the earth; land
• वसुधाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ददत्: giving
• ददत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Śakra (Indra)
• oceans
• rivers
• mountains
• forests
• earth/land (vasudhā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the ethical magnitude of land-gift (vasudhā-dāna): giving land is treated as giving all that the land contains—natural resources and features—thereby emphasizing the comprehensive responsibility and merit associated with such charity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dāna-dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Śakra (Indra) and explains that donating the earth/land implicitly includes donating its constituent elements—oceans, rivers, mountains, and forests—underscoring the totality of the gift.