Shloka 25
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
तस्माद् दातव्यमेवेह प्रतिश्रुत्य युधिष्ठिर । यदीच्छेच्छो भनां जातिं प्राप्तुं भरतसत्तम
tasmād dātavyam eveha pratiśrutya yudhiṣṭhira | yadīcchec chobhanāṁ jātiṁ prāptuṁ bharatasattama ||
毗湿摩说道：“因此，哦，郁提施提罗，凡已许诺之施与，必当在此生此世确实奉行。哦，婆罗多族中最卓越者，若有人希求来世得高贵之生，当无有失信地履行所誓之事——尤其是对婆罗门所许之物。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A pledged gift becomes a moral obligation: once you have promised to give, you must fulfill it. Bhīṣma links fidelity to one’s word—especially in acts of dāna—to the cultivation of merit that leads to an auspicious future birth.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he emphasizes the duty of honoring promises of charity, presenting it as a concrete ethical rule with karmic consequences.