Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

एते लोका: पुण्यकृता अन्नदानां महात्मनाम्‌ | तस्मादन्नं प्रयत्नेन दातव्यं मानवैर्भुवि

Transliteration

ete lokāḥ puṇyakṛtā annadānāṁ mahātmanām | tasmād annaṁ prayatnena dātavyaṁ mānavair bhuvi ||

Translation

Bhishma declares: “These worlds, born of merit, belong to great-souled people who give food. Therefore, human beings on this earth should strive earnestly to give food.”

Word by Word

• एते: these
• एते: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• लोकाः: worlds/realms
• लोकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुण्यकृताः: earned by merit / meritorious
• पुण्यकृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यकृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अन्नदानाम्: of food-gifts (acts of giving food)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नदान
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• महात्मनाम्: of great-souled persons
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that reason
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (तद्)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दातव्यम्: should be given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Gerundive (तव्यत्), Passive sense, Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मानवैः: by humans/men
• मानवैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (annadāna) is a high form of charity that generates merit (puṇya) and leads to auspicious realms; therefore one should give food with sincere effort.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he emphasizes the spiritual and ethical value of charity, specifically teaching that those who donate food attain meritorious worlds and urging people to practice it.