Shloka 30
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नाद्धि प्रसव यान्ति रतिरन्नाद्धि भारत । धर्मार्थावन्नतो विद्धि रोगनाशं तथान्नत:
annād dhi prasavaṃ yānti ratir annād dhi bhārata | dharmārthāv annato viddhi roganāśaṃ tathā annataḥ ||
நாரதர் கூறினார்— ஓ பாரதா! அன்னத்திலிருந்தே சந்ததி உண்டாகிறது; அன்னத்திலிருந்தே காமஇன்பத்தின் நிறைவு கிடைக்கிறது. தர்மமும் அர்த்தமும் அன்னத்தாலேயே நிறைவேறுகின்றன என்று அறிக; அன்னத்தாலேயே நோய்கள் அழிகின்றன.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food (anna) is presented as the foundational support of human life: it enables procreation and marital pleasure, sustains the pursuit of dharma and artha, and promotes health by removing disease. The ethical implication is that ensuring nourishment is a primary duty and a basis for righteous living.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Nārada addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (as “Bhārata”), emphasizing the practical and moral centrality of food as the root condition for family continuity, social order, prosperity, and bodily well-being.