Shloka 1
ब्रह्माण्डदान-प्रशंसा तथा ब्रह्माण्ड-प्रमाण-वर्णनम्
Praise of the Gift of the Cosmic Egg and Description of the Brahmāṇḍa’s Measure
व्यास उवाच । येनैकेन हि दत्तेन सर्वेषां प्राप्यते फलम् । दानानां तन्ममाख्या हि मानुषाणां हितार्थतः
vyāsa uvāca | yenaikena hi dattena sarveṣāṃ prāpyate phalam | dānānāṃ tanmamākhyā hi mānuṣāṇāṃ hitārthataḥ
Vyāsa said: “There is a single gift by whose offering the complete fruit of all gifts is attained. I shall now declare it, for the welfare of humankind.”
Vyasa
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It introduces a Shaiva teaching that among many charitable acts, there is a single, most potent offering whose merit can encompass the fruits of all other gifts—meant to guide humans toward dharma and spiritual uplift.
In the Uma Samhita’s devotional-philosophical setting, “the one gift” is typically framed as an offering made with Shiva-bhakti (often directed to Shiva’s worship, devotees, or sacred institutions), where intention and devotion elevate the act beyond ordinary charity.
The verse sets up guidance on a highest form of dana; in Shaiva practice this is commonly paired with Shiva-oriented devotion—such as offering with mantra (e.g., the Panchakshara) and a pure intention—rather than prescribing a specific item like rudraksha or bhasma in this line itself.