Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 29
Viṣṇu-sahasranāma—Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Recitation (विष्णोर्नामसहस्रम्)
देवता भी दीपदान करनेवालेका आदर करते हैं। उसके लिये सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ निर्मल होती हैं तथा प्रेतलोकमें जानेपर वह मनुष्य सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित होता है ।।
tasmād dīpaḥ pradātavyaḥ pānīyaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | kapilāṃ ye prayacchanti brāhmaṇe vedapārage ||
Wika ni Yama: Kaya nararapat na tiyak na maghandog ng ilawan, at lalo na ng inuming tubig. Ang sinumang mag-alay ng kapilā—isang bakang kulay kayumanggi—sa isang Brāhmaṇa na ganap na bihasa sa mga Veda ay gumagawa ng dakilang kabutihan—ang mapagmalasakit na pagbibigay na ito’y nagdudulot ng kadalisayan, dangal sa gitna ng mga diyos, at maningning na kaginhawahan lampas sa kamatayan, na parang araw na nagliliwanag.
यम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse commends dāna as dharma: give light (a lamp) and, even more urgently, drinking water; and honor Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas with worthy gifts such as a kapilā cow. Such giving is portrayed as purifying, honored by the gods, and beneficial for one’s post-mortem state.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and gifts, Yama speaks about the fruits of charitable acts. He urges specific forms of giving—lamp and water—and praises the merit of gifting a kapilā cow to a Veda-master Brāhmaṇa, linking these acts to purity, divine approval, and radiance in the afterlife.