Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

प्राणवांश्वापि भवति रूपवांश्व तथा नृप । अन्नद: प्राणदो लोके सर्वद: प्रोच्यते तु सः

Transliteration

prāṇavāṁś cāpi bhavati rūpavāṁś ca tathā nṛpa | annadaḥ prāṇado loke sarvadaḥ procyate tu saḥ ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: „O König, der Spender von Nahrung wird mit Lebenskraft und auch mit Schönheit begabt. In dieser Welt nennt man den, der Nahrung gibt, einen Lebensspender und spricht wahrlich von ihm als von einem, der alles gibt.“

Word by Word

• प्राणवान्: possessed of life/vitality
• प्राणवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राणवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भवति: becomes/is
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रूपवान्: handsome/possessed of beauty
• रूपवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूपवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अन्नदः: giver of food
• अन्नदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्राणदः: giver of life
• प्राणदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सर्वदः: giver of everything
• सर्वदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रोच्यते: is called/declared
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Passive (Karmani)

• तु: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सः: he/that person
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• nṛpa (king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (anna-dāna) is portrayed as the highest practical charity because it sustains life itself; therefore the donor is praised as a ‘giver of life’ and even ‘giver of all,’ and is said to gain vitality and beauty as fruits of that merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on gifts and dharma, Nārada addresses a king and extols the ethical and spiritual significance of giving food, framing it as life-sustaining generosity worthy of the highest praise.