Shloka 8
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नाद् गृहस्था लोकेउस्मिन् भिक्षवस्तापसास्तथा । अन्नाद् भवन्ति वै प्राणा: प्रत्यक्ष नात्र संशय:
annād gṛhasthā loke 'smin bhikṣavas tāpasās tathā | annād bhavanti vai prāṇāḥ pratyakṣaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
Narada said: “In this world, householders, mendicants who live by alms, and ascetics alike are sustained by food. Indeed, life-breath itself depends upon food; this is directly evident to all, and there is no doubt about it.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is the visible support of life for every social and spiritual group—householders, mendicants, and ascetics—so providing food (anna-dāna) is a primary ethical duty and a cornerstone of dharma.
Nārada is instructing by emphasizing a universally observable fact: all beings and all āśramas depend on food. The statement functions as a moral argument for honoring food and supporting others through nourishment.