Valmiki Ramayana 1.14.10: Bala Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 10
अश्वमेधप्रवृत्तिः · Commencement and Performance of Daśaratha’s Aśvamedha
Setting: Ayodhyā (yajña-śālā / sacrificial enclosure of Daśaratha)
ब्राह्मणा भुञ्जते नित्यं नाथवन्तश्च भुञ्जते ।
तापसा भुञ्जते चापि श्रमणा भुञ्जतेतथा ॥१०॥
brāhmaṇā bhuñjate nityaṃ nāthavantaś ca bhuñjate |
tāpasā bhuñjate cāpi śramaṇā bhuñjate tathā ||10||
ब्राह्मण लोग रोज़ खाते रहते थे। जो लोग किसी के नीचे रहते थे, वो भी खाते थे। तप करने वाले साधु भी खाते थे। और जो लोग छोड़के चले गए थे, वो भी।
Sandhi Notes
- nāthavantaśca = nāthavantaḥ + ca
- cāpi = ca + api
During that period brahmanas as well as those who have masters, (the sudras), ascetics and monks had enough to eat.
The teaching
A royal yajña is not only ritual precision but also dharmic sustenance of society—feeding all orders, including renunciants and dependents.
- Ethical theme
- Dāna / atithi-dharma
For your practice
Encourages annadāna and inclusive hospitality as daily sādhana; seeing feeding others as a yajña-act.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Orderly, abundant, pious
Themes
- Dharma
- Dāna (Generosity)
- Hospitality
- Social Welfare
- Itihasa
- Ethics
Annadāna as a form of yajña aligning with karma-yoga: sustaining beings without attachment to personal gain.
Taittirīya Upaniṣad: "annam bahu kurvīta" (make food abundant) and the sanctity of anna as Brahman’s manifestation.
- Brahmanas and King Daśaratha
- Royal patronage to priests/guests (dāna-satkara) (reverential)
- Tāpasas and King Daśaratha
- Honored renunciants hosted in yajña context (reverential)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.14.11-13 (continuation of abundance and distribution); Mahābhārata Śānti Parva (annadāna praised as foremost dāna)
Taittirīya Upaniṣad (Annavallī); Gṛhya/Śrauta emphasis on feeding priests and guests in yajñas
Bālakāṇḍa Aśvamedha/putreṣṭi context around 1.13-1.15
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Narrative
Madhyama-gati, even cadence
FAQs
Dharma as generosity without exclusion: the sacrificial occasion becomes a means of public nourishment, extending care to multiple social and spiritual groups.
During the sacrifice, abundant food is continuously distributed so that many categories of people can eat.
The king’s and organizers’ largesse—sustained, inclusive giving as a mark of righteous rule.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
