Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
ततः सस्यानि रोहन्ति येन वर्तयते जगत् | मांसमेदो<5स्थिशुक्राणां प्रादुर्भावस्तत: पुन:
tataḥ sasyāni rohanti yena vartayate jagat | māṁsa-medo'sthi-śukrāṇāṁ prādurbhāvas tataḥ punaḥ ||
Então as colheitas brotam; por esse produto o mundo é sustentado. E desse alimento, de novo, surge nos seres vivos a manifestação de carne, gordura, osso e sêmen—mostrando como a vida do corpo depende da cadeia que começa na terra fértil e úmida e termina no sustento.
नारद उवाच
The verse teaches a chain of dependence: crops arise (from the earth and its moisture), the world is sustained by that food, and bodily constituents like flesh, fat, bone, and generative essence arise from nourishment—highlighting responsibility toward the sources of food and life.
Nārada explains how life is maintained through food: grain grows, beings live by it, and the body’s tissues and reproductive vitality are produced from it, reinforcing a moral reflection on sustenance and the conditions that support living beings.