Shloka 7

अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā

Devanagari script

यद्‌ यदिष्टतमं लोके यच्चास्य दयितं गृहे । तत्‌ तद्‌ गुणवते देयं तदेवाक्षयमिच्छता,संसारमें जो-जो पदार्थ अत्यन्त प्रिय माना जाता है तथा अपने घरमें भी जो प्रिय वस्तु मौजूद हो, वही-वही वस्तु गुणवान्‌ पुरुषको देनी चाहिये। जो अपने दानको अक्षय बनाना चाहता हो, उसके लिये ऐसा करना आवश्यक है

Transliteration

yad yadiṣṭatamaṃ loke yaccāsya dayitaṃ gṛhe | tat tad guṇavate deyaṃ tadevākṣayam icchatā ||

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا—دنیا میں جو چیز سب سے زیادہ عزیز ہو، اور اپنے گھر میں بھی جو محبوب ہو، وہی وہی چیز اہلِ فضیلت کو دینی چاہیے۔ جو اپنے دان کے پھل کو اَکشیَ (ناقابلِ زوال) چاہتا ہے، اس کے لیے یہی درست طریقہ ہے۔

Word by Word

• {'yad yad': 'whatever, whichever (repeated for emphasis)', 'iṣṭatamam': 'most desired, most beloved (superlative of iṣṭa)', 'loke': 'in the world, among people', 'yat ca': 'and whatever', 'asya': 'of him/one’s (genitive)', 'dayitam': 'dear, beloved', 'gṛhe': 'in the house, at home', 'tat tat': "that very (corresponding to 'whatever')", 'guṇavate': 'to the virtuous/meritorious person (dat. of guṇavat)', 'deyam': 'should be given

• is to be given (gerundive)', 'tat eva': 'that alone/that indeed', 'akṣayam': 'imperishable, inexhaustible', 'icchatā': 'by one who desires (instr. of present participle)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• guṇavat (a virtuous/meritorious recipient)
• gṛha (home/household possessions)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To make the fruit of charity imperishable, one should give not leftovers or what is easy to part with, but what one truly values—offered to a worthy, virtuous recipient.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially dāna-dharma), he advises the listener that the highest-quality giving is to offer one’s most cherished possessions to a deserving person, thereby ensuring enduring spiritual merit.