Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 73
Dharmānukathana
Narration of Dharma
सद्यस्तुष्टिकरं ज्ञेयं जलदानं यतोऽधिकम् । अन्नदानान्नृपश्रेष्ठ निर्दिष्टं ब्रह्मवादिभिः ॥ ७३ ॥
sadyastuṣṭikaraṃ jñeyaṃ jaladānaṃ yato'dhikam | annadānānnṛpaśreṣṭha nirdiṣṭaṃ brahmavādibhiḥ || 73 ||
जलदान त्वरित तृप्ति देणारे आहे असे जाणावे; तरीही, हे नृपश्रेष्ठ, ब्रह्मवाद्यांनी अन्नदान त्याहून अधिक श्रेष्ठ असे सांगितले आहे।
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; addressed to a king as narrative exemplar)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It ranks charitable gifts by their dharmic impact: water-giving yields instant relief and merit, while food-giving is upheld as a higher, more sustaining form of compassion and punya.
By urging service to living beings through essential gifts, it frames charity as a practical expression of devotion—pleasing the Divine through compassionate action rather than mere speech.
It reflects Dharma-śāstra style ritual ethics—how to prioritize dana in practice—though it does not directly teach a specific Vedanga like Vyakarana or Jyotisha in this verse.