Shloka 22
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
ब्राह्मण: सर्वभूतानामतिथि: प्रसृताग्रभुक् । विप्रा यदधिगच्छन्ति भिक्षमाणा गृहं सदा
brāhmaṇaḥ sarvabhūtānām atithiḥ prasṛtāgrabhuk | viprā yad adhigacchanti bhikṣamāṇā gṛhaṃ sadā ||
Narada said: “A brāhmaṇa is, as it were, a guest belonging to all beings—one who eats only what is placed into his outstretched hands. The learned brāhmaṇas continually approach households seeking alms.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the brāhmaṇa-mendicant as a universal ‘guest’ (atithi) and implies an ethical duty of households to offer alms/hospitality. It highlights restraint (taking only what is given into outstretched hands) and the social dharma of supporting seekers of bhikṣā.
Nārada is describing the customary conduct of brāhmaṇas who live by alms: they regularly go from house to house begging, receiving food in their extended hands. The statement supports a broader instruction on proper duties and the honoring of guests and the learned.