Shloka 22
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
ततो>न्न॑ जायते विप्र मनुष्याणां सुखावहम् । अन्न प्राणा इति यथा वेदेषु परिपठ्यते
tato 'nnaṁ jāyate vipra manuṣyāṇāṁ sukhāvaham | annaṁ prāṇā iti yathā vedeṣu paripaṭhyate ||
毗湿摩说道：“婆罗门啊，由那雨水便生出食物——给人类带来安康与喜乐的食物。诚然，‘食物即是生命之息（普拉那，prāṇa）’，正如吠陀反复诵说。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human welfare depends on the chain of sustenance: rain enables the growth of food, and food is equated with prāṇa (life). Therefore, supporting conditions for food production and distribution is a dharmic priority, validated by Vedic testimony.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing on dharma and social good. Here he emphasizes the fundamental importance of rainfall and food for human happiness, citing the Vedas to underscore that food sustains life itself.