Shloka 31
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्न हामृतमित्याह पुराकल्पे प्रजापति: । अन्न भुवं दिवं खं च सर्वमन्ने प्रतेष्ठितम्,पूर्वकल्पमें प्रजापतिने अन्नको अमृत बतलाया है। भूलोक, स्वर्ग और आकाश अन्नरूप ही हैं; क्योंकि अन्न ही सबका आधार है
annam amṛtam ity āha purākalpe prajāpatiḥ | annaṃ bhuvaṃ divaṃ khaṃ ca sarvam anne pratiṣṭhitam ||
قال نارادا: «في عصرٍ سحيق أعلن براجابتي: “الطعام هو الأمْرِتَا (رحيق الخلود).” فالأرضُ والسماءُ والفضاءُ كلُّها قائمةٌ على الطعام؛ بل إن كلَّ شيءٍ مُؤسَّسٌ على الطعام».
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is treated as ‘amṛta’ because it sustains life and thereby upholds dharma and the cosmic order; since all realms depend on nourishment, providing food (especially as charity and hospitality) becomes a primary ethical duty.
Nārada cites an ancient proclamation of Prajāpati to emphasize the supreme importance of anna (food), presenting it as the universal foundation on which earth, heaven, and space—and thus all beings—are supported.