Shloka 32
यममार्गे सुखदायकधर्माः
Dharmas that Grant Ease on the Path to Yama
विददाति निधिश्रेष्ठं यो दद्यादन्नमर्थिने । ब्राह्मणायार्तरूपाय पारलौकिकमात्मनः
vidadāti nidhiśreṣṭhaṃ yo dadyādannamarthine | brāhmaṇāyārtarūpāya pāralaukikamātmanaḥ
Whoever gives food to one in need—especially to a Brahmin in distress—wins for oneself the supreme treasure in the world beyond.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Annadāna to the distressed is taught as ‘nidhiśreṣṭha’—a portable spiritual treasure that follows the soul beyond death, supporting auspicious rebirth and proximity to Śiva’s grace.
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that anna-dāna (gift of food) is a high form of dharma that ripens into pāralaukika puṇya—subtle merit that supports the soul after death—aligning conduct with Shiva’s grace through compassion and right action.
In Shaiva practice, Linga-worship is not only ritual but also ethical embodiment; feeding the hungry is treated as service offered to Shiva present in beings, making dāna a lived form of Saguna Shiva devotion.
Perform anna-dāna as part of Shiva-pūjā or on sacred days like Mahāśivarātri—offer food with the remembrance of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” dedicating the merit to Shiva and to the welfare of all beings.