Shloka 19

Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

अन्नदस्यान्नवक्षाश्व॒ सर्वकामफलप्रदा: । भवन्ति चेह चामुत्र नृपतेर्नात्र संशय:

Transliteration

nāradā uvāca | annadasyānnavakṣāśva sarvakāmaphalapradāḥ | bhavanti ceha cāmutra nṛpater nātra saṁśayaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Nārada: Para el rey que da alimento en caridad, las mismas cosechas de grano se vuelven dispensadoras de toda recompensa deseada, tanto en este mundo como en el venidero. De ello, oh rey, no hay duda.

Word by Word

• अन्नदस्य: of the giver of food
• अन्नदस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नद
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अन्नवक्षाः: food-bearing trees/plants
• अन्नवक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नवक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वकामफलप्रदाः: granting the fruit of all desires
• सर्वकामफलप्रदाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वकामफलप्रद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भवन्ति: become/are
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• इह: here (in this world)
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अमुत्र: there (in the other world)
• अमुत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अमुत्र

• नृपतेः: of the king
• नृपतेः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• king (nṛpati)
• food/grain (anna)
• crops/produce (vakṣāśva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (anna-dāna) is presented as a supreme form of charity: it yields comprehensive benefits and desired results for a ruler, bringing merit both in worldly life and in the afterlife.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a king and affirms, as a dharma-instruction, that the king who supports others through the gift of food gains assured auspicious results; the verse emphasizes certainty (“no doubt”) about this moral law.