Shloka 8
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नाद् गृहस्था लोकेउस्मिन् भिक्षवस्तापसास्तथा । अन्नाद् भवन्ति वै प्राणा: प्रत्यक्ष नात्र संशय:
annād gṛhasthā loke 'smin bhikṣavas tāpasās tathā | annād bhavanti vai prāṇāḥ pratyakṣaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
Нарада сказал: «В этом мире и домохозяева, и нищие, живущие подаянием, и подвижники одинаково питаются пищей. Воистину, само дыхание жизни зависит от пищи; это каждому очевидно, и сомнений здесь нет».
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is the visible support of life for every social and spiritual group—householders, mendicants, and ascetics—so providing food (anna-dāna) is a primary ethical duty and a cornerstone of dharma.
Nārada is instructing by emphasizing a universally observable fact: all beings and all āśramas depend on food. The statement functions as a moral argument for honoring food and supporting others through nourishment.