Shloka 6
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नेन सदृशं दानं न भूतं न भविष्यति । तस्मादन्नं विशेषेण दातुमिच्छन्ति मानवा:,अन्नके समान न कोई दान था और न होगा। इसलिये मनुष्य अधिकतर अन्नका ही दान करना चाहते हैं
annena sadṛśaṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati | tasmād annaṃ viśeṣeṇa dātum icchanti mānavāḥ ||
Narada said: “No gift has ever been, nor will ever be, equal to the gift of food. Therefore people, understanding its special worth, most of all wish to give food in charity.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that giving food (anna-dāna) is the highest form of charity because it directly sustains life; hence it is ethically singled out as incomparable among gifts.
Nārada is instructing on dāna-dharma (the duty and value of giving), emphasizing to the listener that food-giving is uniquely important and therefore widely preferred by people who seek to practice merit-bearing charity.