Shloka 32
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
शय्यादानं दानसारं ब्राह्मणाय ददाति यः । स याति ब्रह्मसदनं पर्य्यंके शेरते चिरम्
śayyādānaṃ dānasāraṃ brāhmaṇāya dadāti yaḥ | sa yāti brahmasadanaṃ paryyaṃke śerate ciram
బ్రాహ్మణునికి శయ్యాదానము—దానముల సారము—ఇచ్చేవాడు బ్రహ్మసదనమును చేరును; అక్కడ పర్యంకముపై దీర్ఘకాలము శయనించును।
Unspecified (narrative voice within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Supporting a brāhmaṇa with essential comfort (a bed) is exalted charity, yielding residence in Brahma’s realm.
Application: Practice thoughtful giving: donate bedding to students, priests, shelters, or guests; prioritize gifts that reduce suffering and enable study/worship.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble donor presents a finely woven bed with clean linens to a serene brāhmaṇa scholar, whose blessing rises like a visible mantra. The image transitions to Brahma-loka: lotus-thrones, swan motifs, and the donor reclining on a radiant couch beneath a canopy of light.","primary_figures":["donor","brāhmaṇa recipient","Brahmā (in Brahma-loka vision)"],"setting":"Courtyard of a hermitage or temple charity hall, dissolving into a lotus-filled celestial pavilion.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["ivory white","lotus pink","sunlit gold","soft saffron","sky blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: donor offering an ornate bed to a brāhmaṇa seated on a low platform; heavy gold leaf on textiles and halos; in the upper register, Brahma-loka with Brahmā on a lotus, swan emblems, and a jewel-studded couch.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: quiet hermitage scene with delicate textiles, minimal architecture, and gentle expressions; background opens into a dreamy lotus pavilion of Brahma-loka with pale blues and pinks, fine linework, and airy space.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized brāhmaṇa and donor with bold outlines; patterned bed textiles; celestial panel showing Brahmā on lotus with swans, warm red-yellow-green pigments and rhythmic ornamentation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of lotuses and swans; central act of śayyā-dāna before a shrine; upper field shows lotus-world imagery, symmetrical composition, gold highlights on fabric patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft chanting","rustle of cloth","temple courtyard ambience","distant bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śayyādānaṃ = śayyā + dānam; dānasāraṃ = dāna + sāram; brahmasadanaṃ = brahma + sadanam; paryyaṃke normalized to paryaṅke; śerate is read as present Ātmanepada form (often plural in form).
FAQs
Śayyādāna means donating a bed (or bedding) as an act of charity, here praised as a highly meritorious gift when offered to a brāhmaṇa.
The verse presents it as a quintessential form of dāna because it directly supports comfort, rest, and well-being—symbolically and practically—thus being treated as a concentrated or exemplary act of giving.
It emphasizes generosity and supportive giving—offering useful, life-sustaining gifts to worthy recipients—while linking charitable action (dāna) to auspicious spiritual results (puṇya and attainment of Brahmā’s abode).