Shloka 3
The Supremacy of Food-Charity and the Rāma–Śambūka Episode
Child Revived through Rājadharma
तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि पृथिव्यां ये च पार्थिवाः । अन्नदानाद्दिवं प्राप्ताः क्रतवश्चान्नमूलकाः
tadahaṃ śrotumicchāmi pṛthivyāṃ ye ca pārthivāḥ | annadānāddivaṃ prāptāḥ kratavaścānnamūlakāḥ
അതുകൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ കേൾക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു—ഭൂമിയിലെ ഏത് രാജാക്കന്മാർ അന്നദാനത്തിലൂടെ സ്വർഗം പ്രാപിച്ചു; യാഗകർമ്മങ്ങളെയും, കാരണം യാഗങ്ങൾ അന്നമൂലകങ്ങളാണ്।
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context likely a listener addressing the primary narrator in the chapter’s dialogue frame).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: city
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तदहं → तत् अहम्; श्रोतुमिच्छामि → श्रोतुम् इच्छामि; अन्नदानाद्दिवं → अन्नदानात् दिवम्; क्रतवश्चान्नमूलकाः → क्रतवः च अन्नमूलकाः
FAQs
It elevates annadāna (giving food) as a direct cause of heavenly merit and states a broader principle: yajña/kratu (sacrificial rites) ultimately depend on food as their material foundation.
Because sacrificial offerings, hospitality to priests/guests, and the sustenance of participants all rely on food; without nourishment and produce, ritual action cannot be maintained.
That supporting life through nourishment—feeding others, especially in need—is a high, socially stabilizing virtue, and that religious acts should be grounded in practical compassion and sustenance.