Shloka 6
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नेन सदृशं दानं न भूतं न भविष्यति । तस्मादन्नं विशेषेण दातुमिच्छन्ति मानवा:,अन्नके समान न कोई दान था और न होगा। इसलिये मनुष्य अधिकतर अन्नका ही दान करना चाहते हैं
annena sadṛśaṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati | tasmād annaṃ viśeṣeṇa dātum icchanti mānavāḥ ||
ನಾರದನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಅನ್ನದಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮಾನವಾದ ದಾನ ಹಿಂದೆಯೂ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಮುಂದೆಯೂ ಇರದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅದರ ವಿಶೇಷ ಮೌಲ್ಯವನ್ನು ಅರಿತು ಮಾನವರು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಅನ್ನವನ್ನು ದಾನಮಾಡಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that giving food (anna-dāna) is the highest form of charity because it directly sustains life; hence it is ethically singled out as incomparable among gifts.
Nārada is instructing on dāna-dharma (the duty and value of giving), emphasizing to the listener that food-giving is uniquely important and therefore widely preferred by people who seek to practice merit-bearing charity.