Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्ष प्रीतिजनन भोक्त्ुर्दातुर्भवत्युत । सर्वाण्यन्यानि दानानि परोक्षफलवन्त्युत

Transliteration

pratyakṣa-prīti-jananaṁ bhoktur dātur bhavaty uta | sarvāṇy anyāni dānāni parokṣa-phalavanty uta ||

Translation

Nārada dit : «Le don de nourriture engendre directement la satisfaction des deux — celui qui donne et celui qui mange. Tous les autres dons, en revanche, ne portent leurs fruits que d’une manière indirecte.»

Word by Word

• प्रत्यक्षम्: directly, manifestly
• प्रत्यक्षम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• प्रीतिजननम्: producing satisfaction/pleasure
• प्रीतिजननम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति-जनन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• भोक्तुः: of the eater/recipient (enjoyer)
• भोक्तुः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोक्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दातुः: of the giver
• दातुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• भवति: is/becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular

• उत: and/also (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• अन्यानि: other
• अन्यानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• दानानि: gifts/charities
• दानानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• परोक्षफलवन्ति: having indirect results
• परोक्षफलवन्ति: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परोक्ष-फलवत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• उत: and/also (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (anna-dāna) is uniquely praised because its benefit is immediate and tangible: the donor feels direct joy in giving and the recipient gains direct satisfaction by being nourished, whereas other gifts often bear fruit in less visible, delayed, or indirect ways.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is instructing on the hierarchy and nature of gifts, emphasizing why the donation of food stands out ethically and practically among forms of dāna.