Shloka 623

Devanagari script

ततः सर्वगुणोपेतमन्नं दद्यात्‌ सुसंस्कृतम्‌ । राजेन्द्र! भीष्मपर्वमें उत्तम सवारी देकर अच्छी तरह छौंक-बघारकर तैयार किया हुआ सभी उत्तम गुणोंसे युक्त भोजन दान करे

Transliteration

tataḥ sarvaguṇopetam annaṃ dadyāt susaṃskṛtam |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Thereafter, one should give in charity well-prepared food—properly cooked and refined—endowed with every good quality.” The ethical emphasis is that giving is not merely an act of transfer, but a conscientious offering: wholesome, carefully prepared, and worthy of the recipient.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय

• सर्वगुणोपेतम्: endowed with all good qualities
• सर्वगुणोपेतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वगुणोपेत (उपेत-प्रातिपदिक; √इ + उपसर्ग उप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give (as a gift)
• दद्यात्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (दाने)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सुसंस्कृतम्: well-prepared/refined
• सुसंस्कृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुसंस्कृत (संस्कृत-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + सम् उपसर्ग; सु-उपसर्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches annadāna as dharma: charity should be offered thoughtfully—food that is wholesome, well-cooked, and of good quality—so the giver’s intention is matched by the excellence of the gift.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a prescriptive passage describing meritorious conduct; here he specifies the proper manner of giving food in charity—prepared carefully and possessing ‘all good qualities.’