Shloka 20

Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa

Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting

Devanagari script

दह्यमानाय विप्राय य: प्रयच्छत्युपानहौ । सस्‍नातकाय महाबाहो संशिताय द्विजातये

Transliteration

dahyamānāya viprāya yaḥ prayacchatyupānahau | sasnātakāya mahābāho saṃśitāya dvijātaye ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi bậc dũng lực, ai đem tặng một đôi dép cho một Bà-la-môn đang khốn khổ, như bị thiêu đốt bởi gian nan—nhất là cho một Snātaka (người vừa hoàn tất học giới), bậc nhị sinh nghiêm trì kỷ luật—thì làm một việc bố thí đầy công đức, vừa cứu khổ tức thời, vừa tôn vinh phẩm giá của người học đạo.”

Word by Word

• दह्यमानाय: to the burning (one)
• दह्यमानाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दह् (धातु) → दह्यमान (वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदे कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• विप्राय: to a brahmin
• विप्राय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रयच्छति: gives, offers
• प्रयच्छति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) उपसर्ग: प्र + यच्छ (यम्-आदेश/प्रयोग) → प्रयच्छति
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• उपानहौ: a pair of sandals
• उपानहौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपानह् (उपानहौ = द्विवचन प्रथमा/द्वितीया)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• स्नातकाय: to a स्नातक (one who has completed studentship)
• स्नातकाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नातक
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• महाबाहो: O mighty-armed one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• संशिताय: to the well-disciplined
• संशिताय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + शि (धातु) → संशित (कृदन्त; ‘well-trained/discipled’)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• द्विजातये: to the twice-born
• द्विजातये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• snātaka
• upānahau (sandals)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.