Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50
Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds
समस्तदेवतारुपो ब्राह्मणः परिकीर्तितः । जीवनं ददतस्तस्य कः पुण्यं गदितुं क्षमः ॥ ५१ ॥
samastadevatārupo brāhmaṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ | jīvanaṃ dadatastasya kaḥ puṇyaṃ gadituṃ kṣamaḥ || 51 ||
On proclame que le Brāhmaṇa incarne les formes de toutes les divinités. Pour celui qui lui donne un soutien qui entretient la vie, qui pourrait dire le mérite (puṇya) qui en résulte ?
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It equates honoring a worthy Brāhmaṇa with honoring all devas, and teaches that sustaining such a person’s life (through support like food, shelter, or protection) yields immeasurable puṇya.
It frames devotion as practical reverence expressed through service: by serving a sacred recipient viewed as embodying the divine, one performs an act akin to deity-worship, a bhakti-oriented ethic of seeing God in dharmic persons.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; it emphasizes dharma-śāstra practice—dāna and proper honoring of Brāhmaṇas as a foundational ritual-ethical principle.