Shloka 22
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
ददाति यस्तु विप्राय सर्वं तरति दुष्कृतम् । घृतान्नमुदकुंभं च वैशाख्यां तु विशेषतः
dadāti yastu viprāya sarvaṃ tarati duṣkṛtam | ghṛtānnamudakuṃbhaṃ ca vaiśākhyāṃ tu viśeṣataḥ
જે બ્રાહ્મણને દાન આપે છે તે સર્વ દુષ્કૃત્યોને પાર કરે છે. વિશેષ કરીને વૈશાખ માસમાં ઘીથી પકાવેલું અન્ન અને જળકુંભ દાન કરવાથી મહાપુણ્ય થાય છે.
Unspecified (narratorial injunction within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Dāna to a worthy brāhmaṇa—especially seasonally prescribed gifts—functions as a purifier that helps one ‘cross over’ demerit.
Application: In hot months, prioritize ‘cooling’ and sustaining gifts (water pot, nourishing food) to those engaged in study/service; pair charity with humility and a prayer for inner purification.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sun-warmed Vaiśākha morning outside a small Viṣṇu shrine: a householder offers a brass water-pot and a leaf-bowl of ghee-cooked rice to a serene brāhmaṇa seated on a kusa mat. In the background, mango blossoms and a shimmering heat-haze suggest the season, while temple flags flutter gently, implying that charity itself becomes a crossing-ford over sin.","primary_figures":["pious householder (dātā)","brāhmaṇa recipient","Viṣṇu (as shrine icon, subtle presence)"],"setting":"Temple forecourt with tulasi planter, kusa mat, brass vessels, and a shaded mandapa; early-summer landscape with mango trees.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron gold","lotus pink","burnished brass","mango green","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a Vaiśākha dāna scene before a small Viṣṇu shrine, the deity icon framed by ornate prabhāmaṇḍala with gold leaf, the donor offering a gleaming brass water-pot and ghee-rice; rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments on the shrine, intricate floral borders, luminous gold highlights on vessels and halo.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate donor and brāhmaṇa figures under a flowering mango tree near a modest temple pavilion, subtle heat-haze over pale earth tones, cool yet bright palette, refined faces, fine textile patterns, distant hills and a thin stream suggested as a life-giving motif.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, warm ochres and greens, donor in white dhoti offering a rounded water-pot, brāhmaṇa seated with palm-leaf manuscript nearby, Viṣṇu icon in the sanctum doorway with stylized eyes, temple lamp motifs, flat yet majestic composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional courtyard with lotus and mango motifs, ornate borders of creepers and flowers, a central Viṣṇu shrine with deep blue accents, attendants and peacocks at the edges, the act of offering water-pot and ghee-food rendered with intricate textile patterning and gold detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","summer birds","faint crowd murmur","water poured into a pot"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: yastu = yaḥ + tu. ghṛtānnam = ghṛta + annam. udakuṃbham = udaka + kumbham. vaiśākhyāṃ = vaiśākhyām (loc. sg.).
FAQs
The verse treats Vaiśākha as a specially meritorious period (māhātmya), where acts of dāna are said to yield amplified spiritual results—here, the overcoming of past wrongdoing.
It recommends ghṛtānna (ghee-prepared food) and an udakumbha (water-pot). Food sustains life and supports sacred study and worship, while water is a primary gift associated with relief, hospitality, and merit—especially in hot-season observances like Vaiśākha.
It links ethical repair to generosity: one should counteract harmful actions not only through regret but through tangible support of others—especially through life-sustaining gifts offered respectfully.