Shloka 26
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
धेनुं पुरातनीं यच्छेद्वस्त्रं च जरितं द्विज । नूत्नां रजोवतीं कन्यां स गच्छेन्निरयं तथा
dhenuṃ purātanīṃ yacchedvastraṃ ca jaritaṃ dvija | nūtnāṃ rajovatīṃ kanyāṃ sa gacchennirayaṃ tathā
ഹേ ദ്വിജാ! പഴയ പശുവും ജീർണ്ണവസ്ത്രവും ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവനും, അതുപോലെ പുതുവിവാഹിതയായ രജസ്വല കന്യയെയും നൽകുന്നവനും നിശ്ചയമായി നരകത്തിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു।
Unknown (context not provided for the dialogue frame in this excerpt)
Concept: Dāna must be appropriate (yogya) in object and circumstance; harmful/impure gifting and trafficking in persons leads to naraka.
Application: Practice ethical giving: donate what is clean, useful, and respectfully offered; never commodify human relationships; avoid enabling exploitation under the guise of ‘charity’.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stern dharma-teaching tableau: a grave sage addresses a trembling dvija as shadowy, symbolic figures of ‘old cow’ and ‘tattered cloth’ appear like omens, while a distant, dark chasm suggests naraka. The atmosphere is didactic and cautionary, with purity motifs (white ash lines, ritual vessels) contrasted against the gloom of transgression.","primary_figures":["a dharma-upadeśa sage","a dvija listener","symbolic Naraka guardians (yamadūta silhouettes)"],"setting":"Forest āśrama teaching space with a low wooden seat, palm-leaf manuscripts, and a faintly visible abyss-like backdrop as allegory.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky indigo","ash white","deep maroon","burnt umber","dull gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated rishi with authoritative mudrā instructing a dvija, gold-leaf halo around the sage, rich maroon and green textiles, symbolic motifs of a worn cloth bundle and an aged cow rendered as cautionary icons, a dark naraka vignette in the corner with subdued gold highlights, gem-studded ornaments minimal and austere, traditional South Indian iconographic framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate forest āśrama scene with refined faces, cool indigo shadows, the sage pointing to a small painted inset of naraka as moral illustration, lyrical trees and a quiet stream, restrained palette with maroon accents, fine linework and soft gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, the sage and dvija in frontal teaching posture, natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, a stylized dark-blue naraka band below with simplified yamadūta forms, temple-wall aesthetic and large expressive eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional border of lotus and vine motifs framing a moral teaching scene; central sage and dvija under a stylized canopy, symbolic ‘impure gifts’ shown as small medallions, deep blue background with gold detailing, intricate floral borders and restrained narrative panels."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","distant conch shell","ominous silence","rustling leaves"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यच्छेद्वस्त्रं = यच्छेत् + वस्त्रम् (त् + व् → द्व्); गच्छेन्निरयं = गच्छेत् + निरयम् (त् + न् → न्न्)
FAQs
It teaches that charity must be appropriate and non-harmful; giving degraded items or making improper gifts is treated as adharma and brings negative karmic consequences.
In dharma literature, donating unusable or disrespectful items is considered a defective gift (dūṣita-dāna), performed without true generosity, and therefore spiritually harmful rather than meritorious.
It implies that the value of a gift depends on its fitness, dignity, and the righteousness of the act—not merely on the outward act of giving.