Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 50
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
अन्नदानात्परं नास्ति प्राणिनां गतिदाकयम् । तस्मादन्नंप्रदातव्यंपयसाचसमन्वितम्
annadānātparaṃ nāsti prāṇināṃ gatidākayam | tasmādannaṃpradātavyaṃpayasācasamanvitam
Für die Lebewesen gibt es keine Gabe, die höher wäre als die Gabe von Speise, denn sie verleiht rechten Weg und Wohlergehen. Darum soll man Nahrung spenden, auch zusammen mit Milch.
Unspecified (narratorial instruction within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; likely within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue context)
Concept: Anna-dāna is the highest gift because it sustains prāṇa and supports the right course of life; give food with milk for completeness and nourishment.
Application: Make food-giving a regular practice: feed guests, the poor, students, pilgrims; support community kitchens; when possible add milk/curd/ghee for nourishment; offer the meal mentally to Vishnu before serving.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate donor serves steaming rice and warm milk to travelers and ascetics seated in a row, their faces softening with relief. In the background, a small Vishnu shrine receives a portion as naivedya, suggesting that feeding beings is simultaneously worship.","primary_figures":["a donor (gṛhastha/king)","hungry travelers and ascetics","a small Vishnu icon or shrine (symbolic presence)"],"setting":"village rest-house (dharmashala) or temple annadāna hall; brass vessels, banana leaves, earthen pots of milk","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm saffron","brass gold","milk white","terracotta","indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: annadāna hall with a benevolent donor offering rice and milk; gold leaf highlights on brass vessels and Vishnu shrine; rich maroon and green textiles; ornate borders; expressive faces showing compassion and relief; traditional South Indian iconography for the shrine.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle community feeding scene under a shaded veranda; delicate brushwork on banana leaves and steam; cool yet warm-balanced palette; refined expressions; a small shrine niche with a Vishnu symbol in the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figures in rhythmic seated row; bold outlines; prominent brass pot and milk vessel; warm red/yellow/green pigments; a simplified Vishnu emblem panel behind, emphasizing seva as worship.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symmetrical annadāna composition with lotus borders; central offering vessels, rows of recipients; deep blue background with gold floral motifs; subtle Krishna/Vishnu symbol above to sanctify the act; intricate decorative framing like Nathdwara seva scenes."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["clinking brass vessels","soft chanting","temple bells","murmur of a feeding hall"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अन्नदानात्परं = अन्नदानात् + परम्; नास्ति = न + अस्ति; अन्नंप्रदातव्यं = अन्नम् + प्रदातव्यम्; प्रदातव्यंपयसाचसमन्वितम् = प्रदातव्यम् + पयसाः + च + समन्वितम् (सन्धि/लेखनभेद).
FAQs
The verse elevates annadāna (giving food) as the foremost gift because it directly sustains life and supports a person’s well-being and moral/spiritual course (gati).
Milk (payas) is presented as a nourishing accompaniment, implying that charity should be wholesome and strengthening, not merely minimal subsistence.
It stresses practical compassion: supporting living beings through essential nourishment is a primary dharmic duty and a highly meritorious act.