Shloka 10
भोजनादेव लोकांस्त्रींस्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् | दीप: सर्वस्य लोकस्य चक्षुश्क्षुष्मतामपि
bhojanād eva lokāṁs trīn trāyante mahato bhayāt | dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuḥ cakṣuṣmatām api ||
بھیشم نے کہا—محض کھانا کھلانے کے عمل سے ہی برہمن تینوں لوکوں کو عظیم خوف سے بچاتے ہیں۔ وہ تمام جہان کے لیے چراغ کی مانند روشنی دینے والے ہیں، اور آنکھوں والوں کے لیے بھی آنکھوں کی طرح ہیں۔
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.