Shloka 10

Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणायाभिरूपाय यो दद्यादन्नमर्थिने । विदधाति निर्धि श्रेष्ठ पारलीकिकमात्मन:,जो याचना करनेवाले सुपात्र ब्राह्मणको अन्नदान देता है, वह परलोकमें अपने लिये एक अच्छी निधि (खजाना) बना लेता है

Transliteration

brāhmaṇāyābhirūpāya yo dadyād annam arthine | vidadhāti nidhim śreṣṭha pāralaukikam ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: Wer einem würdigen und ehrbaren Brāhmaṇa, der darum bittet, Speise gibt, der legt sich für das Jenseits einen vortrefflichen Schatz an—Verdienst, das ihn über dieses Leben hinaus begleitet.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• अभिरूपाय: to a worthy/fit (person)
• अभिरूपाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिरूप
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दद्यात्: should give / would give
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अर्थिने: to one who seeks (a supplicant)
• अर्थिने: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थिन्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• विदधाति: arranges / establishes / provides
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• निधिम्: a treasure, deposit
• निधिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठ: O best (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पारलौकिकम्: otherworldly, pertaining to the next world
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारलौकिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मनः: for oneself / of oneself
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• brāhmaṇa
• anna (food)
• nidhi (treasure/merit-store)
• paraloka (the next world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (anna-dāna) to a worthy brāhmaṇa who seeks help is praised as a high dharmic act, because it becomes a lasting ‘treasure’ of merit that benefits the giver in the afterlife.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Nārada states a general rule of dharma: supporting a deserving petitioner—specifically by giving food—creates enduring spiritual wealth (nidhi) for the donor beyond this world.