Shloka 50
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
प्रयत्नेन द्विजश्रेष्ठ कर्त्तव्यो धनसंचयः । संचितं च धनं ब्रह्मन्दानकर्मणि विक्षिपेत्
prayatnena dvijaśreṣṭha karttavyo dhanasaṃcayaḥ | saṃcitaṃ ca dhanaṃ brahmandānakarmaṇi vikṣipet
โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐ! พึงเพียรพยายามสั่งสมทรัพย์; และโอ้พราหมณ์ ทรัพย์ที่สั่งสมแล้วพึงนำไปใช้ในกรรมแห่งทาน
Unspecified (didactic narrator voice within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Earn and accumulate wealth with effort, but direct the accumulated wealth toward charitable acts; wealth finds its dharmic completion in dāna.
Application: Adopt intentional earning and giving: budget for charity, support temples/feeding programs, and ensure wealth is acquired ethically and spent in ways that reduce suffering and increase sattva.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: earthly
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A diligent householder counts coins and grain not with greed but with resolve, placing a portion into a cloth bag marked for dāna while the rest supports family and ritual. In the background, a small shrine of Hari glows, suggesting that wealth becomes luminous when oriented toward giving.","primary_figures":["dvija-gṛhastha (householder)","family members (optional)","Hari shrine presence (symbolic)"],"setting":"Courtyard of a traditional home with granary jars, a wooden chest, account palm-leaves, and a small domestic altar with a lamp.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","granary gold","terracotta","deep teal","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: householder before a domestic Hari shrine, gold leaf lamp flames and ornaments, coins and grain rendered with jewel-like detail, a cloth bag labeled as dāna, rich reds/greens, ornate borders emphasizing dharmic prosperity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate household scene with delicate architecture and soft textiles, the giver calmly separating a portion for charity, gentle evening light, refined expressions, subtle spiritual glow from the altar.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized granary and chest, householder in composed posture, bright lamp near Hari shrine, natural pigment palette with strong reds/yellows/greens, decorative frame motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: domestic prosperity offered to devotion—central altar with lotus motifs, symmetrical arrangement of grain jars and donation bag, peacocks and floral borders, deep blue background with gold highlights suggesting sanctified wealth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["coin clink (soft)","oil lamp crackle","temple bell (distant)","evening crickets","low tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ब्रह्मन्दानकर्मणि = ब्रह्मन् + दानकर्मणि (न् + द → न्द).
FAQs
It advises earning and saving wealth through effort, but ultimately channeling that accumulated wealth into charitable giving.
Wealth is not presented as an end in itself; it becomes dharmic when it is used for dāna—supporting others and righteous causes.
It aligns more with responsible household ethics: acquire resources conscientiously and use them for generosity rather than hoarding.