Shloka 20
The Glory of the Brāhmaṇa
Brāhmaṇa-Mahimā and Pādodaka Merit
क्षुधार्तोऽहं देहि चान्नं प्राणा यास्यंति मे द्रुतम्
kṣudhārto'haṃ dehi cānnaṃ prāṇā yāsyaṃti me drutam
నేను ఆకలితో బాధపడుతున్నాను—నాకు అన్నం ఇవ్వండి; లేకపోతే నా ప్రాణాలు త్వరగా విడిచిపోతాయి।
Unspecified (a hungry supplicant within the narrative context of Brahma-khaṇḍa 14)
Concept: Prāṇa is sustained by anna; to give food is to give life—anna-dāna becomes the most immediate compassion.
Application: Keep a habit of feeding someone—human, animal, or guest—before personal indulgence; treat food as sacred trust.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A gaunt traveler collapses at a doorway, hands outstretched, lips parted in a desperate plea. The air feels still, as if the very prāṇa is thinning, while inside the home the warmth of a hearth promises rescue.","primary_figures":["hungry supplicant","brāhmaṇa (implied nearby)"],"setting":"threshold of a modest brāhmaṇa house with a cooking area visible—earthen pot, rice sack, small hearth","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit with urgent warm glow against surrounding dusk","color_palette":["burnt sienna","warm amber","dusty beige","deep maroon","smoke gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the supplicant at the threshold, hands extended; gold leaf emphasizing the sanctity of anna (rice grains, pot rim, lamp flame); rich reds/greens in textiles; devotional undertone with a small Viṣṇu symbol on the inner wall, ornate yet compassionate composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tender realism—thin limbs, expressive eyes; soft dusk tones; interior hearth glow painted delicately; minimal architecture, strong emotional focus on the plea and the compassionate domestic space.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figure with pronounced eyes and gesture; bold outlines; warm palette dominated by ochre and red; the hearth and lamp rendered as sacred motifs, mural symmetry framing the act of begging as a dharma-moment.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative vignette bordered by floral patterns; the threshold framed with lotus and creepers; symbolic grains and vessels repeated as motifs; deep blue background with gold highlights, emphasizing anna as divine gift."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["stomach growl (implied)","crackling fire (near)","soft footsteps approaching","brief silence after the plea"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: क्षुधार्तोऽहं = क्षुधार्तः + अहम्; चान्नं = च + अन्नम्; पदच्छेदः: क्षुधार्तः अहम् देहि च अन्नम् प्राणाः यास्यन्ति मे द्रुतम्
FAQs
It implies the dharmic urgency of feeding the hungry (anna-dāna), treating relief of suffering as an immediate moral responsibility.
The tone is urgent and pleading: the speaker says hunger is overwhelming and warns that life may soon end without food.
It supports prioritizing food charity—feeding guests, the poor, and anyone in distress—since basic sustenance is presented as life-preserving and time-sensitive.