Shloka 38

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

काम्योदकप्रदानं ते मयैतत् कथितं नृप यद् दत्त्वा प्रीणयेद् एतन् मनुष्यः सकलं जगत् जगदाप्यायनोद्भूतं पुण्यम् आप्नोति चानघ

Transliteration

kāmyodakapradānaṃ te mayaitat kathitaṃ nṛpa yad dattvā prīṇayed etan manuṣyaḥ sakalaṃ jagat jagadāpyāyanodbhūtaṃ puṇyam āpnoti cānagha

Translation

O king, I have thus explained to you the kāmya (votive, wish-fulfilling) gift of water. By offering it, a person gladdens, as it were, the whole world; and, blameless one, attains the merit born of refreshing and sustaining creation itself.

Word by Word

• काम्य: wish-fulfilling
• काम्य: Sambandha (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग) — ‘desired/for fulfilling wishes’

• उदक: water
• उदक: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग) — ‘water’

• प्रदानम्: gift/offer (giving)
• प्रदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘the giving/offer’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — dative ‘to you’

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental ‘by me’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘this’

• कथितम्: told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त, √कथ् (धातु), क्त-प्रत्यय PPP)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘told/declared’ (agreeing with एतत्)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative ‘O king’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — relative pronoun ‘which/that’ (object of दत्त्वा)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु), त्वा-प्रत्यय (क्त्वान्त/gerund)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/gerund) — ‘having given’

• प्रीणयेत्: should satisfy
• प्रीणयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्री (धातु) [causative/णिच्: प्रीणय-]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘should please/satisfy’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘this’ (object of प्रीणयेत्)

• मनुष्यः: a man/person
• मनुष्यः: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — subject

• सकलम्: entire
• सकलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — qualifying ‘जगत्’

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — object of प्रीणयेत्

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग) — ‘world’ (first member)

• आप्यायन: nourishment
• आप्यायन: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आप्यायन (प्रातिपदिक; from √प्या with ā-; ‘nourishing/refreshing’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग) — ‘nourishment/refreshment’

• उद्भूतम्: arisen from
• उद्भूतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्भूत (कृदन्त, √भू (धातु) + उद्, क्त-प्रत्यय PPP)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘arisen from’ qualifying ‘पुण्यम्’

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — object of आप्नोति

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘attains’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/ conjunction) — ‘and’

• अनघ: O sinless one
• अनघ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative ‘O sinless one’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to a kingly listener within the Purāṇic discourse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kāmyodaka-dāna, though a vowed gift, is praised as benefiting the whole jagat by sustaining life and thus yields expansive puṇya.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support life through water charity (wells, drinking water, hydration service) as a dhārmic offering.

Vishishtadvaita: The ‘whole world’ is Bhagavān’s body (śarīra); nourishing beings is indirectly worship of the indwelling Lord who sustains them.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• King (nṛpa)
• The world (jagat)

FAQs

What is the significance of gifting water (udaka-dāna) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents water-gifting as a uniquely universal charity: by refreshing others, one symbolically nourishes the whole world and gains merit born from sustaining creation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the fruit of this charitable act?

He frames the result not merely as personal reward but as world-pleasing (jagat-prīṇana): the merit arises from the act’s power to support life and social harmony.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the ethic reflects Vaishnava cosmology: dharmic acts that preserve and nourish the world align with Vishnu’s role as sustainer (jagat-pālana), turning charity into participation in cosmic order.