Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

अन्न प्राणा नराणां हि सर्वमन्ने प्रतेष्ठितम्‌ । अन्नदः पशुमान्‌ पुत्री धनवान्‌ भोगवानपि

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | annaṃ prāṇā narāṇāṃ hi sarvam anne pratiṣṭhitam | annadaḥ paśumān putrī dhanavān bhogavān api, nareśvara |

Translation

Nārada dit : «La nourriture est véritablement le souffle de vie des hommes ; tout repose sur la nourriture. C’est pourquoi, ô roi, celui qui donne de la nourriture obtient du bétail, des fils, des richesses et des jouissances. Dans le monde, l’homme qui donne de la nourriture est tenu pour un donneur de vie, et même pour celui qui donne tout.»

Word by Word

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• प्राणाः: vital breaths; lives
• प्राणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नराणाम्: of men
• नराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• हि: indeed; for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अन्ने: in food
• अन्ने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: is established; rests
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• अन्नदः: giver of food
• अन्नदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पशुमान्: possessing cattle
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशुमत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुत्री: having sons
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धनवान्: wealthy
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धनवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भोगवान्: enjoying pleasures
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also; even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• nareśvara (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food sustains life and underlies all human activity; therefore, donating food (annadāna) is among the highest forms of charity, equated with giving life itself and bringing broad worldly and moral rewards.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a king and instructs him on the ethical greatness of giving food, explaining that since all beings depend on food, the donor of food is honored as a life-giver and gains prosperity and lineage.