Shloka 18
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
गृहस्थायान्नदानेन फलमाप्नोति मानवः । अन्नमेवास्य दातव्यं दत्वाप्नोति परां गतिम्
gṛhasthāyānnadānena phalamāpnoti mānavaḥ | annamevāsya dātavyaṃ datvāpnoti parāṃ gatim
গৃহস্থে অন্নদান কৰিলে পুণ্যফল লাভ কৰে। সঁচাকৈ অন্নেই দান কৰিব লাগে; অন্ন দান কৰি মানুহে পৰম গতি লাভ কৰে।
Unspecified (narrative/teaching voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa discourse)
Concept: Anna-dāna is the quintessential gift for a gṛhastha; feeding others becomes a direct path to the highest good.
Application: Keep a daily practice of feeding—guests, students, the needy, animals—before personal consumption; support community kitchens and prasāda distribution.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble gṛhastha household lays out steaming rice, lentils, and ghee on leaf-plates, offering first to a visiting brāhmaṇa and then to the hungry at the doorway. The scene radiates quiet sanctity—food as a sacrament—while a subtle Vishnu-like aura suggests the divine presence in the act of feeding.","primary_figures":["gṛhastha couple","brāhmaṇa guest","hungry travelers/poor","Vishnu (subtle aura or symbolic presence)"],"setting":"village courtyard with a small shrine, earthen pots, banana leaves, and a shaded veranda","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm turmeric yellow","clay brown","leaf green","ghee gold","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly ornamented household shrine backdrop, gṛhastha offering anna with gold-leaf highlights on vessels and halos, brāhmaṇa seated receiving, additional figures at the threshold, deep reds and greens, intricate border patterns, a small Vishnu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) above the food as sanctifying motif.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard feeding scene with delicate brushwork, soft textiles, leaf-plates and brass lotā, gentle facial expressions, cool evening tones with warm lamp glow, distant trees and a small temple spire, lyrical domestic devotion.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized eyes, rhythmic arrangement of figures around the food offering, flat planes of yellow-red-green pigments, decorative floral bands, a symbolic conch and discus motif hovering to indicate divine approval.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central anna-sevā tableau framed by lotus and creeper borders, peacocks near grain baskets, deep blue ground with gold floral filigree, a small shrine niche with Vishnu/Śrī symbols, emphasis on abundance and sacred hospitality."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["clinking brass vessels","soft conch in distance","village ambience","temple bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गृहस्थाय + अन्नदानेन → गृहस्थायान्नदानेन; फलम् + आप्नोति → फलमाप्नोति; अन्नम् + एव + अस्य → अन्नमेवास्य; दत्त्वा + आप्नोति → दत्वाप्नोति.
FAQs
It teaches that anna-dāna (donation of food) is a foremost charity for householders and leads to great spiritual merit, culminating in the “supreme goal” (parā gati).
Food sustains life directly; therefore, giving food is presented as an especially potent and practical form of dāna that supports dharma and yields high merit.
Prioritize essential, life-supporting generosity—helping others meet basic needs (like nourishment)—as a concrete expression of moral and spiritual responsibility.