Shloka 56

Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

भारत! इस प्रकार गोदान, तिलदान और भूमिदानका महत्त्व बतलाया गया। अब पुनः अन्नदानकी महिमा सुनो ।। अन्नदानं प्रधानं हि कौन्तेय परिचक्षते । अन्नस्य हि प्रदानेन रन्तिदेवो दिवं गत:,कुन्तीनन्दन! विद्वान्‌ पुरुष अन्नदानको सब दानोंमें प्रधान बताते हैं। अन्नदान करनेसे ही राजा रन्तिदेव स्वर्गलोकमें गये थे

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

bhārata! evaṃ prakāreṇa godāna-tiladāna-bhūmidānayoḥ māhātmyaṃ pradarśitam | idānīṃ punaḥ annadānasya mahimāṃ śṛṇu ||

annadānaṃ pradhānaṃ hi kaunteya paricakṣate |

annasya hi pradānena rantidevo divaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

قال بهيشما: «يا بهاراتا، هكذا بُيِّنَت عظمةُ التصدّقِ بالبقرِ والسمسمِ والأرض. والآن فاسمع مرةً أخرى مجدَ التصدّقِ بالطعام. يا ابنَ كونتي، إن الحكماء يَعُدّون إطعامَ الطعامِ أسمى الصدقات؛ فبإعطاء الطعامِ بلغ الملكُ رَنتيديفا السماء.»

Word by Word

• {'bhārata': 'O Bharata

• descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'evaṃ prakāreṇa': 'in this manner

• thus', 'godāna': 'gift of cows', 'tiladāna': 'gift of sesame (often in rites/charity)', 'bhūmidāna': 'gift of land', 'māhātmya': 'greatness

• exalted merit', 'pradarśita': 'shown

• explained', 'idānīm': 'now', 'punaḥ': 'again

• further', 'annadāna': 'gift of food

• feeding others', 'mahimā': 'glory

• greatness', 'śṛṇu': 'listen', 'pradhāna': 'chief

• foremost', 'kaunteya': 'O son of Kunti (Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'paricakṣate': 'they declare

• they describe', 'annasya': 'of food', 'pradāna': 'giving

• bestowal', 'divam gataḥ': 'went to heaven

• attained the celestial world', 'rantideva': 'Rantideva (exemplary charitable king)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Rantideva
• Svarga (heaven)
• godāna (cow-gift)
• tiladāna (sesame-gift)
• bhūmidāna (land-gift)
• annadāna (food-gift)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That giving food (annadāna) is the foremost of all gifts because it directly sustains life; therefore it is praised as a supreme act of dharma and a powerful source of merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma continues his instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on charitable giving: after describing the merits of gifting cows, sesame, and land, he turns to the special preeminence of food-giving, citing King Rantideva as an exemplar who attained heaven through annadāna.