Shloka 31

Devanagari script

दातव्यं भिक्षवे चान्नं ब्राह्मणाय महात्मने । कुटुंबं पीडयित्वापि ह्यात्मनो भूतिमिच्छता

Transliteration

dātavyaṃ bhikṣave cānnaṃ brāhmaṇāya mahātmane | kuṭuṃbaṃ pīḍayitvāpi hyātmano bhūtimicchatā

Translation

自らの真の安寧を願う者は、托鉢の修行者（比丘）と大心のバラモンに食を施すべきである——たとえそのために家の資を切り詰めねばならぬとしても。

Word by Word

• dātavyam: should be given
• dātavyam: Kriyā (क्रिया/prescriptive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Gerundive/Obligative (तव्यत्), Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; विधेय-भावः (to be given/should be given)

• bhikṣave: to a mendicant/beggar
• bhikṣave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (4th/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय-निपात), conjunction

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• brāhmaṇāya: to a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana

• mahātmane: to the great-souled one
• mahātmane: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; कर्मधारयः (mahān ātmā yasya)

• kuṭumbam: the family/household
• kuṭumbam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṭumba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• pīḍayitvā: having troubled
• pīḍayitvā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pīḍ (पीड् धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), ‘having afflicted/oppressed’

• api: even (if)
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, concessive particle (अपि)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphatic particle (हि)

• ātmanaḥ: of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Ekavacana

• bhūtim: prosperity, welfare
• bhūtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• icchatā: by one desiring
• icchatā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √iṣ (इष् धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Śatṛ-present participle (शतृ), Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana; करण-भावः (by/with one who desires)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Uma-saṃhitā teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Feeding mendicants and worthy Brāhmaṇas is framed as a direct means to one’s bhūti (welfare/prosperity), aligning household life with dharma and accruing puṇya supportive of Śiva-bhakti.

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse teaches that anna-dāna (offering food) to worthy recipients is a direct purifier of karma and a means to inner welfare (bhūti). In Shaiva terms, such selfless giving loosens pasha (bondage) by reducing possessiveness and strengthening sattva, making the heart fit for Shiva-bhakti.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is not only ritual but also ethical purification. Offering food to ascetics and noble Brāhmaṇas supports dharma and sanctifies the devotee’s life, aligning outer puja to Saguna Shiva with inner surrender, which is essential for the grace (anugraha) of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is anna-dāna as a regular vow—especially on Shiva days (Mahāśivarātri, Mondays, pradoṣa). Pair it with simple japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and a mindset of offering the act to Shiva.