Shloka 18
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
न पृच्छेद् गोत्रचरणं स्वाध्यायं देशमेव च । भिक्षितो ब्राह्मणेनेह दद्यादन्न॑ प्रयाचित:
na pṛcched gotracaraṇaṃ svādhyāyaṃ deśam eva ca | bhikṣito brāhmaṇeneha dadyād annaṃ prayācitaḥ ||
न पृच्छेद् गोत्रचरणं स्वाध्यायं देशमेव च । भिक्षितो ब्राह्मणेनेह दद्यादन्नं प्रयाचितः ॥
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity, especially food-giving to a brāhmaṇa who asks, should be prompt and unconditional—one should not demand proofs of lineage, Vedic affiliation, learning, or residence before giving.
Nārada delivers a dharma-instruction within Anuśāsana Parva, prescribing the proper conduct of a householder toward a brāhmaṇa supplicant: do not interrogate; provide food immediately when requested.