Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 12
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
“अहिंसाका फल है रूप और दीक्षाका फल है उत्तम कुलमें जन्म। फल-मूल खाकर रहनेवालोंको राज्य और पत्ता चबाकर तप करनेवालोंको स्वर्गलोककी प्राप्ति होती है ।।
payo-bhakṣo divaṃ yāti dānena draviṇādhikaḥ | guru-śuśrūṣayā vidyā nitya-śrāddhena santatiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Người sống bằng sữa sẽ đạt cõi trời; nhờ bố thí mà của cải càng thêm dồi dào. Nhờ tận tâm phụng sự thầy mà được chân học; và nhờ thường xuyên cử hành lễ śrāddha cho tổ tiên mà được con cháu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a compact doctrine of karmic results: austerity through regulated living (here, subsisting on milk) is linked with heavenly attainment; generosity is said to expand one’s prosperity; humble service to one’s teacher yields learning; and regular performance of śrāddha supports continuity of the family line through progeny.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Vaiśampāyana reports a didactic statement listing the ‘fruits’ (phala) of specific dharmic practices—dietary restraint, charity, service to the guru, and daily śrāddha—framing them as practical ethical-religious disciplines with corresponding outcomes.