Shloka 14
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
यो दद्यादपरिक्लिष्टमन्नमध्वनि वर्तते | आर्तायादृष्टपूर्वाय स महद्धर्ममाप्तुयात्,जो मनुष्य कष्टमें पड़े हुए अपरिचित राहीको प्रसन्नतापूर्वक अन्न देता है, उसे महान् धर्मकी प्राप्ति होती है
yo dadyād aparikliṣṭam annam adhvani vartate | ārtāya adṛṣṭapūrvāya sa mahad dharmam āpnuyāt ||
Barangsiapa tanpa enggan dan tanpa susah hati memberi makanan kepada seorang musafir di jalan—terutama kepada yang menderita dan sebelumnya tak dikenalnya—ia memperoleh pahala dharma yang agung.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unhesitating hospitality—especially feeding a distressed, unknown traveler—is a high form of dharma and yields great religious merit.
Narada is instructing on dharma by giving a specific ethical rule: when one encounters a traveler on the road, particularly someone suffering and unfamiliar, offering food gladly is praised as a great righteous act.