Shloka 56

Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

भारत! इस प्रकार गोदान, तिलदान और भूमिदानका महत्त्व बतलाया गया। अब पुनः अन्नदानकी महिमा सुनो ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

bhārata! evaṃ prakāreṇa godāna-tiladāna-bhūmidānayoḥ māhātmyaṃ pradarśitam | idānīṃ punaḥ annadānasya mahimāṃ śṛṇu ||

annadānaṃ pradhānaṃ hi kaunteya paricakṣate |

annasya hi pradānena rantidevo divaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Bharata, ainsi a été exposée la grandeur du don de vaches, de sésame et de terre. Écoute maintenant encore la gloire du don de nourriture. Ô fils de Kuntī, les sages déclarent que donner à manger est le premier de tous les dons ; car c’est par le don de nourriture que le roi Rantideva atteignit le ciel.»

Word by Word

• {'bhārata': 'O Bharata

• descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'evaṃ prakāreṇa': 'in this manner

• thus', 'godāna': 'gift of cows', 'tiladāna': 'gift of sesame (often in rites/charity)', 'bhūmidāna': 'gift of land', 'māhātmya': 'greatness

• exalted merit', 'pradarśita': 'shown

• explained', 'idānīm': 'now', 'punaḥ': 'again

• further', 'annadāna': 'gift of food

• feeding others', 'mahimā': 'glory

• greatness', 'śṛṇu': 'listen', 'pradhāna': 'chief

• foremost', 'kaunteya': 'O son of Kunti (Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'paricakṣate': 'they declare

• they describe', 'annasya': 'of food', 'pradāna': 'giving

• bestowal', 'divam gataḥ': 'went to heaven

• attained the celestial world', 'rantideva': 'Rantideva (exemplary charitable king)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Rantideva
• Svarga (heaven)
• godāna (cow-gift)
• tiladāna (sesame-gift)
• bhūmidāna (land-gift)
• annadāna (food-gift)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That giving food (annadāna) is the foremost of all gifts because it directly sustains life; therefore it is praised as a supreme act of dharma and a powerful source of merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma continues his instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on charitable giving: after describing the merits of gifting cows, sesame, and land, he turns to the special preeminence of food-giving, citing King Rantideva as an exemplar who attained heaven through annadāna.