Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

सत्कृताश्च निवर्तन्ते तदतीव प्रवर्धते । महाभागे कुले प्रेत्य जन्म चाप्रोति भारत

Transliteration

satkṛtāś ca nivartante tad atīva pravardhate | mahābhāge kule pretya janma cāproti bhārata ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Wenn Menschen geehrt werden, kehren sie wieder; und eben diese Ehrung wächst umso mehr. Und nach dem Tod, o Bhārata, erlangt man Geburt in einer höchst glückbegünstigten und edlen Familie.“

Word by Word

• सत्कृताः: honoured, well-received
• सत्कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्कृत (कृ धातु; उपसर्ग: सत्-; कृदन्त: क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• निवर्तन्ते: return, go back
• Type: Verb
• Root: निवृत् (धातु: वृत्; उपसर्ग: नि-)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

• तत्: that (result/thing)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अतीव: exceedingly, very much
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव

• प्रवर्धते: increases, grows
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रवृध् (धातु: वृध्; उपसर्ग: प्र-)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• महाभागे: O greatly fortunate one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग (महान् + भाग; विशेषण)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कुले: in a family/lineage
• कुले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• प्रेत्य: having departed (after death)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ (धातु: इ; उपसर्ग: प्र-; कृदन्त: ल्यप्)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आप्नोति: attains, obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भारत: O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Honoring others (satkāra) is self-reinforcing: it draws people back and increases goodwill and virtue; ethically, it is presented as a dharmic act that yields spiritual merit, culminating in favorable rebirth in a noble family.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is instructing Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira) within the Anuśāsana Parva’s discourse on dharma, emphasizing the value of respectful reception and its worldly and otherworldly results.