Shloka 616

Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

अन्नदानमतस्तस्माच्छेष्ठमाह प्रजापति: । इसलिये लोकमें तथा सम्पूर्ण मनुष्योंमें अन्नको ही सबसे उत्तम बताया गया है। अन्नसे ही सदा प्राणियोंके तेज और बलकी वृद्धि होती है; अतः प्रजापतिने अन्नके दानको ही सर्वश्रेष्ठ बतलाया है

Transliteration

annadānam atas tasmāc chreṣṭham āha prajāpatiḥ |

Translation

Bhishma said: Therefore, Prajapati has declared the gift of food to be the highest. In this world and among all people, food is praised as supreme, for from food the vitality, radiance, and strength of living beings continually increase; hence Prajapati proclaims food-giving as the foremost charity.

Word by Word

• अन्नदानम्: gift of food
• अन्नदानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नदान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अतः: therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः

• तस्मात्: from that; hence
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तस्मद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठम्: the best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आह: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• प्रजापतिः: Prajapati (Lord of creatures)
• प्रजापतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजापति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Prajapati
• Anna (food/grain)