Shloka 20
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
दह्यमानाय विप्राय य: प्रयच्छत्युपानहौ । सस्नातकाय महाबाहो संशिताय द्विजातये
dahyamānāya viprāya yaḥ prayacchatyupānahau | sasnātakāya mahābāho saṃśitāya dvijātaye ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O makapangyarihang bisig, sinumang magbigay ng isang pares ng sandalyas sa isang brāhmaṇa na nababagabag at tila nasusunog sa bigat ng paghihirap—lalo na sa isang Snātaka (kakatapos sa banal na pag-aaral), isang disiplinadong dvija—ay gumagawa ng dakilang kawanggawa: agad nitong pinapawi ang pagdurusa at iginagalang ang dangal ng marurunong.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights practical compassion: giving even a simple necessity like sandals to an afflicted brāhmaṇa—especially a disciplined snātaka—counts as dharmic charity because it directly alleviates suffering and supports the life of study and restraint.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the fruits of various gifts. Here he singles out the merit of gifting sandals to a distressed learned person, emphasizing timely, need-based giving.