Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 21
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
सान्त्वद: सर्वभूतानां सर्वशोकैर्विमुच्यते । देवशुश्रूषया राज्यं दिव्यं रूपं नियच्छति
sāntvadaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ sarvaśokair vimucyate | devaśuśrūṣayā rājyaṁ divyaṁ rūpaṁ niyacchati ||
凡能安慰一切众生者，便从诸般忧苦中解脱。又以虔敬奉事诸天者，得至上权势，并获光辉灿然的天界之形。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that consoling others is itself a dharmic act that dissolves one’s own grief, and that reverent service to the divine yields elevated fruits—both worldly (sovereignty) and transcendent (a divine form).
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, states a general dharma-principle within Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction: ethical conduct expressed as compassionate reassurance and devotional service leads to freedom from sorrow and to auspicious rewards.