Shloka 3
तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि पृथिव्यां ये च पार्थिवाः । अन्नदानाद्दिवं प्राप्ताः क्रतवश्चान्नमूलकाः
tadahaṃ śrotumicchāmi pṛthivyāṃ ye ca pārthivāḥ | annadānāddivaṃ prāptāḥ kratavaścānnamūlakāḥ
Darum wünsche ich zu hören von jenen Königen auf Erden, die durch die Gabe der Speise den Himmel erlangten; und auch von den Yajñas, denn die Opferhandlungen wurzeln in der Speise.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context likely a listener addressing the primary narrator in the chapter’s dialogue frame).
Concept: Anna (food) is the root of yajña and social order; anna-dāna elevates rulers and households toward svarga and lasting fame.
Application: Treat food as sacred: cook with cleanliness, offer to God, feed guests/poor, reduce waste; support community kitchens as modern yajña.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A righteous king oversees a grand annadāna beside a yajña-śālā: steaming cauldrons, orderly lines of guests, and priests tending the fire. Above, a subtle celestial pathway opens, hinting at svarga attained through generosity rooted in food and sacrifice.","primary_figures":["a dharmic king","priests (ṛtviks)","hungry guests and travelers","celestial beings (gandharvas/apsarās, subtle)"],"setting":"Royal courtyard adjoining a sacrificial pavilion; banners, grain stores, and a public feeding hall.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["vermillion","burnished gold","rice white","leaf green","sky blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: royal annadāna and yajña scene with the king offering ladles of ghee and distributing food, gold leaf flames and halos, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded crowns, ornate pillars, celestial figures in the upper panel receiving the merit.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined palace courtyard with delicate figures in orderly lines, soft pastel sky, detailed yajña fire with thin smoke, lyrical trees and pavilions, cool blues and warm ochres, gentle celestial suggestion above.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stacked narrative registers—lower register annadāna, middle register yajña, upper register svarga vision; bold outlines, natural pigments, stylized eyes and ornaments, rhythmic patterns on pillars and garments.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central focus on sacred food distribution as a devotional act, lotus and grain motifs in borders, peacocks near cauldrons, deep blue background with gold flourishes, a small Viṣṇu symbol (śaṅkha-cakra) blessing the yajña and annadāna."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["chanting of priests","crackling yajña fire","clinking ladles","soft crowd hum","conch shell at offerings"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तदहं → तत् अहम्; श्रोतुमिच्छामि → श्रोतुम् इच्छामि; अन्नदानाद्दिवं → अन्नदानात् दिवम्; क्रतवश्चान्नमूलकाः → क्रतवः च अन्नमूलकाः
FAQs
It elevates annadāna (giving food) as a direct cause of heavenly merit and states a broader principle: yajña/kratu (sacrificial rites) ultimately depend on food as their material foundation.
Because sacrificial offerings, hospitality to priests/guests, and the sustenance of participants all rely on food; without nourishment and produce, ritual action cannot be maintained.
That supporting life through nourishment—feeding others, especially in need—is a high, socially stabilizing virtue, and that religious acts should be grounded in practical compassion and sustenance.