Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 10
भोजनादेव लोकांस्त्रींस्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् | दीप: सर्वस्य लोकस्य चक्षुश्क्षुष्मतामपि
bhojanād eva lokāṁs trīn trāyante mahato bhayāt | dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuḥ cakṣuṣmatām api ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Sa simpleng gawa ng pagpapakain, ipinagtatanggol ng mga Brahmana ang tatlong daigdig laban sa malaking pangamba. Sila’y gaya ng lamparang nagbibigay-liwanag sa buong sanlibutan, at sila rin ang mga mata maging ng may mga mata na.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates anna-dāna (the gift of food) as a world-sustaining dharma: supporting Brahmins through feeding is portrayed as protecting society from great fear, because Brahmins embody and transmit sacred knowledge and moral discernment—like a lamp and like eyesight.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on gifts and duties, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira the ethical power of charity. Here he praises feeding (especially of Brahmins) as a supreme act whose benefit extends beyond the giver and recipient to the stability and well-being of the three worlds.