Shloka 6
Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
तस्मादन्नं परं लोके सर्वलोकेषु कथ्यते । अन्नाद् बल॑ च तेजश्न प्राणिनां वर्धते सदा
tasmād annaṃ paraṃ loke sarvalokeṣu kathyate | annād balaṃ ca tejaś ca prāṇināṃ vardhate sadā ||
Bhishma disse: “Por isso, o alimento é declarado o mais elevado neste mundo—e, de fato, em todos os mundos. Do alimento sempre aumentam a força e o fulgor vital dos seres. Assim, no âmbito do dharma, alimentar e sustentar os outros se eleva como dever primordial, pois a vida, o vigor e a capacidade de agir retamente dependem do sustento.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is proclaimed the supreme support of life: it is the direct cause for the growth of strength and vital energy in all beings. Hence, providing food is a primary dharmic act because it sustains life and enables all other duties.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his counsel by emphasizing the foundational value of anna (food), framing nourishment and food-giving as central to righteous conduct and social welfare.