Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 25

Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

अन्न प्राणा नराणां हि सर्वमन्ने प्रतेष्ठितम्‌ । अन्नदः पशुमान्‌ पुत्री धनवान्‌ भोगवानपि

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | annaṃ prāṇā narāṇāṃ hi sarvam anne pratiṣṭhitam | annadaḥ paśumān putrī dhanavān bhogavān api, nareśvara |

Translation

ਨਾਰਦ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਹੇ ਨਰੇਸ਼ਵਰ! ਅੰਨ ਹੀ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਹਨ; ਸਭ ਕੁਝ ਅੰਨ ਉੱਤੇ ਹੀ ਟਿਕਿਆ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਅੰਨ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਪੁਰਖ ਪਸ਼ੂ-ਧਨ, ਪੁੱਤਰ, ਦੌਲਤ ਅਤੇ ਭੋਗ ਵੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜਗਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਨ ਦਾਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਣਦਾਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਸਰਵਦਾਤਾ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• प्राणाः: vital breaths; lives
• प्राणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नराणाम्: of men
• नराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• हि: indeed; for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अन्ने: in food
• अन्ने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: is established; rests
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• अन्नदः: giver of food
• अन्नदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पशुमान्: possessing cattle
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशुमत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुत्री: having sons
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धनवान्: wealthy
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धनवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भोगवान्: enjoying pleasures
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also; even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• nareśvara (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food sustains life and underlies all human activity; therefore, donating food (annadāna) is among the highest forms of charity, equated with giving life itself and bringing broad worldly and moral rewards.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a king and instructs him on the ethical greatness of giving food, explaining that since all beings depend on food, the donor of food is honored as a life-giver and gains prosperity and lineage.