Shloka 19
The Teaching on Śiva-Dharma and the Supremacy of Food-Giving
within the Pitṛtīrtha–Yayāti Episode
अन्नदानप्रदः सर्वमिहामुत्र फलं लभेत् । यस्यान्नपानपुष्टांगः कुरुते पुण्यसंचयम्
annadānapradaḥ sarvamihāmutra phalaṃ labhet | yasyānnapānapuṣṭāṃgaḥ kurute puṇyasaṃcayam
ผู้ให้อาหารย่อมได้ผลทุกประการ ทั้งในโลกนี้และโลกหน้า เพราะผู้ที่อวัยวะทั้งหลายได้รับการหล่อเลี้ยงด้วยอาหารและน้ำ ย่อมสั่งสมบุญกุศล
Unspecified (narrative voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; exact dialogue speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Concept: Feeding others generates merit because nourishment enables the recipient to perform dharma and accumulate puṇya.
Application: Give food and water with respect (no humiliation); prioritize nourishing those who serve (students, workers, caregivers); donate staples regularly; pair charity with kind speech.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate donor offers bowls of food and water to travelers; as each person eats, faint luminous threads rise from their strengthened bodies, symbolizing puṇya accumulating through renewed capacity for dharma. The scene subtly splits into two horizons—earthly village life and a distant celestial path—showing ‘ihāmutra’ rewards.","primary_figures":["householder donor (gṛhastha)","travelers/atithis","a mendicant","children receiving food"],"setting":"Village threshold with a shaded veranda, earthen pots of water, and a small tulsi-less but sacred household altar in the background","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm ochre","copper brown","sky blue","white jasmine","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a gṛhastha couple performing anna-dāna at their doorway, ornate brass pots and plates rendered with gold leaf, a small altar niche behind them, recipients seated in orderly rows, rich maroon and emerald textiles, embossed halos suggesting merit radiating outward.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic charity—soft dawn light, delicate facial expressions of gratitude, a veranda with patterned rugs, distant fields and a pale river line, cool blues and greens balanced with saffron garments, lyrical calm emphasizing ‘ihāmutra’ continuity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figures with bold outlines—donor pouring water from a pot and serving rice, rhythmic composition of seated recipients, flat red/yellow/green pigments, symbolic puṇya as lotus-like motifs rising above nourished bodies.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus medallion representing divine merit, attendants distributing prasāda-like food, ornate floral borders, peacocks and cows at corners, deep indigo and gold, devotional ambience linking charity to Krishna’s grace."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["flowing water","soft birdsong","low temple bell","gentle handbell","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अन्नदानप्रदः = अन्न + दान + प्रदः; सर्वमिहामुत्र = सर्वम् + इह + अमुत्र; यस्यान्नपानपुष्टांगः = यस्य + अन्न + पान + पुष्ट + अङ्गः; पुण्यसंचयम् = पुण्य + संचयम्.
FAQs
It teaches that charity in the form of giving food (anna-dāna) yields comprehensive benefits in both this life and the afterlife, because it enables others to sustain themselves and perform meritorious actions.
Because food and drink directly sustain the body; when a person is nourished, they can carry out duties, worship, and ethical actions—thus generating puṇya (spiritual merit).
Support others’ basic needs first: providing nourishment is portrayed as a foundational form of compassion that empowers people to live righteously and build merit.