Shloka 616
Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
अन्नदानमतस्तस्माच्छेष्ठमाह प्रजापति: । इसलिये लोकमें तथा सम्पूर्ण मनुष्योंमें अन्नको ही सबसे उत्तम बताया गया है। अन्नसे ही सदा प्राणियोंके तेज और बलकी वृद्धि होती है; अतः प्रजापतिने अन्नके दानको ही सर्वश्रेष्ठ बतलाया है
annadānam atas tasmāc chreṣṭham āha prajāpatiḥ |
Bhīṣma disse: Portanto, Prajāpati declarou que a doação de alimento é a mais elevada. Neste mundo e entre todos os homens, o alimento é louvado como supremo, pois do alimento aumentam continuamente a vitalidade, o brilho e a força dos seres vivos; assim, Prajāpati proclama a dádiva de alimento como a caridade principal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest form of charity is giving food, because food directly sustains life and increases the vitality, radiance, and strength of all beings; thus it is praised as the foremost dharmic gift.
In Bhishma’s discourse on dharma and gifts (dāna) in the Anushasana Parva, he cites Prajapati’s authority to rank annadāna as supreme, emphasizing its universal benefit to living beings.