Shloka 20
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
शालग्रामशिलां यो वै दद्याद्भूमिसुराय च । तेन विप्र प्रदत्तानि भुवनानि चतुर्दश
śālagrāmaśilāṃ yo vai dadyādbhūmisurāya ca | tena vipra pradattāni bhuvanāni caturdaśa
హే బ్రాహ్మణా! ఎవడు నిజంగా భూసుర బ్రాహ్మణునికి శాలగ్రామశిలను దానం చేస్తాడో, ఆ కర్మచేత అతడు చతుర్దశ భువనాలను దానం చేసినవాడిగా భావించబడతాడు।
Unspecified (narrative voice within the Adhyaya; vocative ‘vipra’ indicates the verse is addressed to a brāhmaṇa interlocutor).
Concept: Giving Śālagrāma to a worthy brāhmaṇa is tantamount to the supreme dāna—offering all worlds—because it is offering Viṣṇu’s manifest sign with proper adhikāra.
Application: Give with discernment (pātra-śuddhi): support learned, ethical teachers and Vaiṣṇava worship; treat sacred items as living presences, not collectibles; ensure respectful handling and proper ritual transfer.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa, depicted as ‘bhūmi-sura,’ receives a Śālagrāma on a golden plate while behind him a cosmic vertical axis appears: Bhū-loka at the base, higher lokas rising in luminous tiers, and lower lokas hinted beneath—fourteen spheres aligned like pearls on a thread. The small stone glows as the pivot of the entire universe, implying that the gift transfers ‘all worlds.’","primary_figures":["brāhmaṇa (bhūmi-sura)","devotee donor","Śālagrāma-śilā"],"setting":"temple-adjacent donation hall with ritual fire and lotus pedestal; cosmic loka-axis as visionary backdrop","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["antique gold","smoky lamp amber","conch white","deep indigo","vermillion"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: brāhmaṇa enthroned with gold halo receiving Śālagrāma on a plate; behind, fourteen loka-spheres stacked vertically with embossed gold leaf and jewel-like highlights; rich maroon and emerald drapery, ornate pillars, heavy ornamentation and sacred geometry borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined interior with slender pillars; donor offers Śālagrāma, brāhmaṇa blesses; in the background a delicate translucent column of fourteen lokas painted like floating orbs; cool blues and soft gold washes, lyrical restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized brāhmaṇa and donor with bold outlines; Śālagrāma emphasized by chakra motif; fourteen lokas shown as patterned discs in a vertical band; warm reds/yellows/greens with black detailing and temple-wall texture.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central offering scene framed by ornate floral borders; fourteen lokas represented as decorative medallions around the margins; deep blue cloth with gold and white linework, hanging lamps and lotus clusters, devotional symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["oil lamp crackle","temple bells","soft conch","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्याद्भूमिसुराय → दद्यāt + भूमिसुराय (त् + भ् → द्भ्); शालग्रामशिलां (समास/योग) treated as शालग्राम-शिलाम्.
FAQs
It elevates Śālagrāma-dāna (donating a Śālagrāma stone) as an exceptionally meritorious gift, equating it hyperbolically with donating the entirety of the fourteen cosmic realms.
In Purāṇic ethics, a learned and righteous brāhmaṇa is revered as a ‘deva on earth’ because he preserves sacred knowledge and ritual order; hence gifts to such a recipient are described as yielding amplified merit.
It underscores intentional, faith-filled giving to a worthy recipient, suggesting that the spiritual value of dāna depends not only on the object but also on its sanctity and the giver’s reverence.