Shloka 17
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
तस्मात् प्रयच्छ विप्रेषु छत्रोपानहमुत्तमम् । धर्मस्तेषु महान् भावी न मे<त्रास्ति विचारणा
tasmāt prayaccha vipreṣu chatropānaham uttamam | dharmas teṣu mahān bhāvī na me 'trāsti vicāraṇā ||
ฉะนั้นจงถวายร่มและรองเท้าอันประเสริฐแก่พราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย ด้วยทานเช่นนี้จักบังเกิดผลแห่งธรรมอันยิ่งใหญ่; ในข้อนี้เราไม่มีความลังเลเลย
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that practical, need-based gifts—such as umbrellas and footwear—given to Brahmins are a form of dharmic charity that yields great religious merit, and he affirms this without hesitation.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he recommends specific charitable acts to the listener, emphasizing that such offerings generate significant dharma and expressing certainty about their value.