Shloka 28

Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणो हि महदभूत॑ क्षेत्रभूतं युधिष्ठिर । उप्यते तत्र यद्‌ बीज॑ तद्धि पुण्यफलं महत्‌

Transliteration

brāhmaṇo hi mahad abhūt kṣetrabhūtaṃ yudhiṣṭhira | upyate tatra yad bījaṃ tad dhi puṇyaphalaṃ mahat ||

Translation

నారదుడు పలికెను—ఓ యుధిష్ఠిరా! బ్రాహ్మణుడు మహత్తర సత్త్వము; పుణ్యఫలములకు పవిత్ర క్షేత్రమువలె. ఆ క్షేత్రములో ఏ ‘బీజము’ నాటబడునో, అది మహత్తర పుణ్యఫలమును ఇస్తుంది.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• महत्: great (thing)
• महत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अभूत्: became/was
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Aorist (simple past), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• क्षेत्रभूतम्: having become a field; field-like
• क्षेत्रभूतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्रभूत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• उप्यते: is sown
• Type: Verb
• Root: वप्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive

• तत्र: there/in that (place)
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• यत्: which/whatever
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• बीजम्: seed
• बीजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• पुण्यफलम्: meritorious fruit/reward
• पुण्यफलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्यफल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महत्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Merit depends not only on the act but also on the worthiness of the recipient: a virtuous Brāhmaṇa is compared to a fertile field, so gifts and respectful service offered there yield especially great puṇya.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada instructs Yudhiṣṭhira using an agricultural metaphor: the Brāhmaṇa is the ‘field,’ and whatever is ‘sown’—charity, honor, service—returns as a large harvest of spiritual merit.