Shloka 16
Bhūmi-dānasya Māhātmya
The Pre-eminence of Land-Gift
स कुलं॑ तारयेत् सर्व यस्य खाते जलाशये । गाव: पिबन्ति सलिलं साधवश्नल नरा: सदा,जिसके खोदवाये हुए जलाशयमें सदा साधु पुरुष और गौएँ पानी पीती हैं, वह अपने समस्त कुलका उद्धार कर देता है
sa kulaṁ tārayet sarvaṁ yasya khāte jalāśaye | gāvaḥ pibanti salilaṁ sādhavaś ca narāḥ sadā ||
Bhishma nói: “Người nào cho đào một hồ chứa, nơi các bậc hiền thiện và đàn bò luôn đến uống nước, thì người ấy trở thành đấng cứu độ cho toàn bộ dòng tộc của mình.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Establishing a lasting public resource—especially a water reservoir used by cows and the virtuous—is a powerful act of dharma whose merit is said to redeem and uplift one’s entire lineage.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he praises acts of public charity; here he highlights the religious and social value of having a pond or reservoir dug for the benefit of living beings.