Shloka 44
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
तैलप्रदः प्रजामिष्टां दीपदश्चक्षुरुत्तमम् । भूमिदः सर्वमाप्नोति दीर्घमायुर्हिरण्यदः
tailapradaḥ prajāmiṣṭāṃ dīpadaścakṣuruttamam | bhūmidaḥ sarvamāpnoti dīrghamāyurhiraṇyadaḥ
எண்ணெய் தானம் செய்பவன் விரும்பிய சந்ததியைப் பெறுவான்; விளக்கு தானம் செய்பவன் சிறந்த பார்வையைப் பெறுவான். நிலம் தானம் செய்பவன் அனைத்தையும் பெறுவான்; பொன் தானம் செய்பவன் நீண்ட ஆயுளைப் பெறுவான்।
Unspecified (narrative voice within the adhyaya on dāna/phala)
Concept: Specific gifts yield specific fruits: oil → desired progeny, lamp → excellent eyesight, land → comprehensive attainment, gold → long life.
Application: Practice targeted generosity: donate lamps/oil to temples or for public lighting, support land/education endowments, give responsibly with purity of intent; treat giving as spiritual discipline rather than transaction.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence-like tableau shows four acts of giving arranged around a central altar: a devotee pours sesame oil into a lamp, another offers a blazing dīpa before a deity, a third presents a deed-scroll and handful of earth for bhū-dāna, and a fourth places gold coins into a priest’s cloth. Above each act, faint celestial glyphs depict the promised fruits—children’s laughter, radiant eyes, abundant harvests, and a long life-line.","primary_figures":["donors (varied ages)","brāhmaṇa recipient/priest","temple deity silhouette (optional)"],"setting":"Temple courtyard with lamp-stands, donation platform, sacred fire niche, and a small garden patch symbolizing land.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp flame amber","sesame brown","vermillion red","antique gold","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: four-panel narrative within one frame—oil offering, lamp offering, land donation, gold donation—set in a temple courtyard; heavy gold leaf for flames and coins, rich reds/greens, embossed ornaments, symmetrical composition with ornate borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate multi-scene composition with soft architectural lines; donors in gentle poses, warm lamp glow, subtle symbolic halos around eyes and harvest fields; cool background washes with refined detailing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures performing dāna around a central lamp pillar; strong reds/yellows/greens, stylized flames, decorative temple border patterns, didactic clarity in gestures.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central giant dīpa with lotus petals; surrounding medallions show oil-dāna, dīpa-dāna, bhū-dāna, hiraṇya-dāna; deep blue ground, gold floral borders, intricate motifs of grains and auspicious eyes."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["lamp crackle","temple bells","soft chanting","coin clink","evening silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दीपदश्चक्षुरुत्तमम् = दीपदः + चक्षुः + उत्तमम्; सर्वमाप्नोति = सर्वम् + आप्नोति; दीर्घमायुर्हिरण्यदः = दीर्घम् + आयुः + हिरण्यदः.
FAQs
It praises gifting oil, gifting a lamp, gifting land, and gifting gold—each linked to a specific auspicious result (phala).
Because light symbolizes clarity and the removal of darkness; giving light is taught as producing the karmic fruit of enhanced vision and discernment.
It teaches that intentional generosity bears corresponding fruits: practical gifts that sustain life (oil, light, land, wealth) are said to return as wellbeing, prosperity, and longevity.