Shloka 35
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
अन्नदस्य मनुष्यस्य बलमोजो यशांसि च । कीर्तिश्चि वर्थते शश्व॒त् त्रिषु लोकेषु पार्थिव,पृथ्वीनाथ! अन्नदान करनेवाले मनुष्यके बल, ओज, यश और कीर्तिका तीनों लोकोंमें सदा ही विस्तार होता रहता है
annadasya manuṣyasya balam ojo yaśāṃsi ca | kīrtiś ca vardhate śaśvat triṣu lokeṣu pārthiva pṛthvīnātha ||
اے زمین کے مالک! جو انسان اناج کا دان دیتا ہے، اس کی قوت، جلال، شہرت اور ناموری—تینوں لوکوں میں ہمیشہ بڑھتی رہتی ہے۔
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food-giving (anna-dāna) is presented as a primary form of charity: by sustaining others’ life and wellbeing, the giver’s strength, vitality, fame, and lasting reputation continually grow, even across the ‘three worlds’—signifying enduring moral and social honor.
Nārada addresses a king, praising the virtue and far-reaching fruit of anna-dāna. The verse functions as ethical instruction within Anuśāsana Parva’s broader teachings on gifts, duties, and righteous conduct.