Shloka 54
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
स्थिते धने नरो यो वै नाश्नाति न ददाति सः । दरिद्र इव विज्ञेयः प्रेत्य निश्वासमुत्सृजेत्
sthite dhane naro yo vai nāśnāti na dadāti saḥ | daridra iva vijñeyaḥ pretya niśvāsamutsṛjet
ധനം സമീപത്തുണ്ടായിട്ടും ആരെങ്കിലും അതു അനുഭവിക്കാതെയും ദാനം ചെയ്യാതെയും ഇരുന്നാൽ, അവനെ സത്യത്തിൽ ദരിദ്രനെന്നപോലെ അറിയണം; മരണാനന്തരം അവൻ അവസാന ശ്വാസം മാത്രമേ വിട്ടുപോകൂ.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Wealth unused for rightful enjoyment or charity is functionally poverty; death strips all possessions, leaving only the last breath.
Application: Avoid both miserliness and compulsive accumulation; convert resources into service—feed someone, support learning, maintain a lamp in a temple, care for dependents.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A man sits beside a full granary and a laden dining tray, yet his hands are closed and his gaze is vacant—symbolizing refusal to enjoy or give. The scene dissolves into a quiet deathbed moment where a thin wisp of breath leaves his lips, while the untouched wealth remains behind like silent witnesses.","primary_figures":["a wealthy yet miserly man","family/servants as distant onlookers","a subtle personification of Death (Mṛtyu) or Kāla"],"setting":"interior of a merchant’s house—granary, treasury room, and a deathbed chamber blended in a continuous narrative","lighting_mood":"forest dappled (for life scene) shifting to dim lamp-lit (deathbed)","color_palette":["antique gold","olive green","lamp-flame amber","slate grey","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: opulent interior with gold leaf on treasure chests and vessels; central figure with clenched fists; right side transitions to a deathbed with a faint departing breath line; ornate pillars and arch, rich reds/greens, gem-studded ornaments, moral narrative panel.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic scene with delicate shading; the untouched meal and closed hands emphasized; a soft dissolve into a quiet deathbed under a small oil lamp; cool greys and warm ambers, refined expressions conveying wasted opportunity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized interior with bold outlines; wealth objects in flat luminous yellow; the last breath shown as a curling white ribbon; rhythmic composition, temple-wall storytelling aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic household scene framed by floral borders; wealth vessels as decorative motifs; the departing breath as a white vine curling upward; deep blue/indigo ground with gold highlights, allegorical tone."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft lamp crackle","distant temple bell","quiet breathing","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्थिते धने (locative absolute sense). नाश्नाति = न + अश्नाति. निश्वासमुत्सृजेत् = निश्वासम् + उत्सृजेत् (m + u sandhi).
FAQs
It teaches that hoarding without either rightful enjoyment or charitable giving makes a person effectively “poor,” because wealth unused for dharma or sustenance yields no lasting value.
It emphasizes impermanence: at death one can take nothing—only the final breath—so unused wealth is ultimately abandoned.
The verse supports dāna as a key dharmic use of prosperity: wealth gains meaning when it sustains oneself appropriately and is shared for righteous causes and the welfare of others.