Shloka 8
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नाद् गृहस्था लोकेउस्मिन् भिक्षवस्तापसास्तथा । अन्नाद् भवन्ति वै प्राणा: प्रत्यक्ष नात्र संशय:
annād gṛhasthā loke 'smin bhikṣavas tāpasās tathā | annād bhavanti vai prāṇāḥ pratyakṣaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
قال ناردَ: «في هذا العالم، ربّ الأسرة، والمتسوّل الذي يعيش على الصدقات، والناسك الزاهد—جميعهم سواء—تقوم حياتهم على الطعام. بل إن نَفَسَ الحياة نفسه يعتمد على الطعام؛ وهذا أمرٌ ظاهر لكل الناس، ولا شك فيه.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is the visible support of life for every social and spiritual group—householders, mendicants, and ascetics—so providing food (anna-dāna) is a primary ethical duty and a cornerstone of dharma.
Nārada is instructing by emphasizing a universally observable fact: all beings and all āśramas depend on food. The statement functions as a moral argument for honoring food and supporting others through nourishment.