Mahabharata 3.201.33 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 33
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
पृच्छन्ति चात्र दातारं वदन्ति पुरुषा भुवि
pṛcchanti cātra dātāraṃ vadanti puruṣā bhuvi, annadātṛ-samaḥ so 'pi kīrtyate nātra saṃśayaḥ |
ఈ లోకంలో ప్రజలు దాతను గురించి అడిగి, దానం చేసే వానిని కీర్తిస్తారు; ఎవడు అన్నం దొరికే చోటు చూపిస్తాడో, అతడూ అన్నదాతతో సమానంగా ప్రశంసింపబడతాడు—ఇందులో సందేహం లేదు।
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Helping the hungry is so central to dharma that even directing someone to a source of food is treated as morally equivalent to feeding them oneself; intention and practical assistance both generate merit.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s discourse on righteous conduct, he explains how society praises beneficence: when people seek a donor of food, the one who provides reliable guidance to obtain food is also honored like an actual food-giver.
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