Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
Tilā-Dāna, Dīpa-Dāna, and Nitya-Jalapradāna
Yama–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda) | तिलदान-दीपदान-नित्यजलप्रदान (यम-ब्राह्मण संवाद
यद् यत् प्रदीयते दानमुत्तराविषये नरै: । महाफलमनन्तं तद् भवतीति विनिश्चय:,उत्तरा नक्षत्रमें मनुष्य जो-जो दान देते हैं, वह महान् फलसे युक्त एवं अनन्त होता है-- यह शास्त्रोंका निश्चय है
yad yat pradīyate dānam uttarāviṣaye naraiḥ | mahāphalam anantaṃ tad bhavatīti viniścayaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Narada: Anumang handog na ibinibigay ng mga tao sa panahon ng bituing Uttarā ay tiyak na nagbubunga ng dakila at maging walang-hanggang gantimpala—ito ang matibay na pasya ng mga banal na turo.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that acts of charity (dāna), when performed in the northern region (uttarāviṣaya), are regarded by śāstra as producing exceptionally great and even limitless spiritual merit; it emphasizes confidence in scriptural testimony about the fruits of giving.
Nārada is speaking within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader instruction on dharma, specifically discussing the results of dāna and highlighting a traditional belief about the extraordinary fruit of gifts given in a particular sacred/geographical context (the northern region).