Shloka 21
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
तुलापुरुषदानं यः करोति द्विजपुंगव । जनन्याश्चोदरे तस्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते
tulāpuruṣadānaṃ yaḥ karoti dvijapuṃgava | jananyāścodare tasya punarjanma na vidyate
Wahai yang terbaik di antara kaum dwija, siapa yang melaksanakan dāna Tulāpuruṣa, ia tidak akan lahir kembali dari rahim seorang ibu.
Unspecified (narrative speaker within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Tulāpuruṣa-dāna, performed properly, is said to end rebirth (no return to a mother’s womb).
Application: Use charity as inner renunciation: give proportionately meaningful offerings, reduce attachment, and dedicate the act to Nārāyaṇa; combine with ethical living and regular devotion rather than treating dāna as a mere transaction.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ceremonial balance scale stands at the center as a donor is symbolically ‘weighed’ against heaps of gold, grain, and cloth, then all is offered away to brāhmaṇas. Above the scene, a subtle lotus-path opens into a calm, starless expanse—signifying cessation of rebirth—while the donor’s face shifts from anxiety to serene release.","primary_figures":["donor performing tulāpuruṣa-dāna","brāhmaṇa recipients","officiating priest"],"setting":"large temple mandapa with pillars, tulā scale, donation piles, sacred fire and water vessels","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","sandalwood beige","vermillion","ivory white","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: grand mandapa with ornate pillars; central tulā scale weighing the donor, heaps of gold/grain/cloth offered to brāhmaṇas; embossed gold leaf everywhere, rich crimson and emerald garments, halos and sacred motifs; above, a lotus-shaped gateway into a tranquil void symbolizing mokṣa.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant court-like mandapa; tulā scale finely detailed; brāhmaṇas receiving gifts in orderly rows; soft dawn sky with a faint lotus-ladder dissolving into pale emptiness; delicate brushwork, restrained gold accents, refined expressions of serenity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized tulā apparatus and figures with bold outlines; rhythmic arrangement of recipients; warm pigment blocks; a symbolic lotus portal above rendered as a patterned aureole, emphasizing liberation through dharmic giving.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symmetrical mandapa scene with tulā at center; decorative borders of lotuses and lamps; donors and brāhmaṇas arranged like a ritual procession; deep blue background with gold and white detailing, emphasizing auspicious completion and release."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["temple bells (distant)","soft conch","low chanting","silence after cadence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: जनन्याश्चोदरे → जनन्याः + च + उदरे; पुनर्जन्म → पुनः + जन्म (अव्ययीभावसमास).
FAQs
Tulāpuruṣa-dāna is a ceremonial gift in which a person is weighed (traditionally against gold or other valuables) and an equivalent amount is donated, emphasizing large-scale charity as a purificatory act.
The verse presents an exalted fruit of dāna: freedom from rebirth. In Purāṇic ethics, extraordinary generosity is treated as a powerful purifier of karma, oriented toward release from saṃsāra.
The ethical teaching is that selfless giving—especially in a formal, accountable way—has transformative spiritual value and is portrayed as a direct support for overcoming the cycle of repeated birth.