Shloka 20
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
शालग्रामशिलां यो वै दद्याद्भूमिसुराय च । तेन विप्र प्रदत्तानि भुवनानि चतुर्दश
śālagrāmaśilāṃ yo vai dadyādbhūmisurāya ca | tena vipra pradattāni bhuvanāni caturdaśa
من قدّم حقًّا حجر شالاغراما لبرهمنٍ، وهو «إله على الأرض»، فبذلك الفعل، يا أيها البرهمن، يُعَدّ كأنه قد تصدّق بالعوالم الأربعة عشر.
Unspecified (narrative voice within the Adhyaya; vocative ‘vipra’ indicates the verse is addressed to a brāhmaṇa interlocutor).
Concept: Giving Śālagrāma to a worthy brāhmaṇa is tantamount to the supreme dāna—offering all worlds—because it is offering Viṣṇu’s manifest sign with proper adhikāra.
Application: Give with discernment (pātra-śuddhi): support learned, ethical teachers and Vaiṣṇava worship; treat sacred items as living presences, not collectibles; ensure respectful handling and proper ritual transfer.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa, depicted as ‘bhūmi-sura,’ receives a Śālagrāma on a golden plate while behind him a cosmic vertical axis appears: Bhū-loka at the base, higher lokas rising in luminous tiers, and lower lokas hinted beneath—fourteen spheres aligned like pearls on a thread. The small stone glows as the pivot of the entire universe, implying that the gift transfers ‘all worlds.’","primary_figures":["brāhmaṇa (bhūmi-sura)","devotee donor","Śālagrāma-śilā"],"setting":"temple-adjacent donation hall with ritual fire and lotus pedestal; cosmic loka-axis as visionary backdrop","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["antique gold","smoky lamp amber","conch white","deep indigo","vermillion"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: brāhmaṇa enthroned with gold halo receiving Śālagrāma on a plate; behind, fourteen loka-spheres stacked vertically with embossed gold leaf and jewel-like highlights; rich maroon and emerald drapery, ornate pillars, heavy ornamentation and sacred geometry borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined interior with slender pillars; donor offers Śālagrāma, brāhmaṇa blesses; in the background a delicate translucent column of fourteen lokas painted like floating orbs; cool blues and soft gold washes, lyrical restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized brāhmaṇa and donor with bold outlines; Śālagrāma emphasized by chakra motif; fourteen lokas shown as patterned discs in a vertical band; warm reds/yellows/greens with black detailing and temple-wall texture.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central offering scene framed by ornate floral borders; fourteen lokas represented as decorative medallions around the margins; deep blue cloth with gold and white linework, hanging lamps and lotus clusters, devotional symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["oil lamp crackle","temple bells","soft conch","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्याद्भूमिसुराय → दद्यāt + भूमिसुराय (त् + भ् → द्भ्); शालग्रामशिलां (समास/योग) treated as शालग्राम-शिलाम्.
FAQs
It elevates Śālagrāma-dāna (donating a Śālagrāma stone) as an exceptionally meritorious gift, equating it hyperbolically with donating the entirety of the fourteen cosmic realms.
In Purāṇic ethics, a learned and righteous brāhmaṇa is revered as a ‘deva on earth’ because he preserves sacred knowledge and ritual order; hence gifts to such a recipient are described as yielding amplified merit.
It underscores intentional, faith-filled giving to a worthy recipient, suggesting that the spiritual value of dāna depends not only on the object but also on its sanctity and the giver’s reverence.