Shloka 5
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
नारद उवाच अन्नमेव प्रशंसन्ति देवा ऋषिगणास्तथा । लोकततन्त्र हि संज्ञाश्न सर्वमन्ने प्रतेष्ठितम्
nārada uvāca | annam eva praśaṃsanti devā ṛṣigaṇās tathā | lokatantraṃ hi saṃjñāś ca sarvam anne pratiṣṭhitam ||
نارد نے کہا—دیوتا اور رِشیوں کے گروہ صرف اَنّ ہی کی ستائش کرتے ہیں۔ دنیاوی زندگی کا نظام اور اس کی روانی اَنّ پر قائم ہے؛ اسی سے شعور اور فہم کی روشنی پیدا ہوتی ہے، اور حقیقتاً سب کچھ اَنّ ہی میں مستقر ہے۔
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food (anna) is the foundation of life and social order: it sustains worldly activity, supports cognition and clarity, and therefore becomes a primary object of reverence and ethical concern—implying the duty to produce, protect, and share food through righteous livelihood and charity.
Nārada is instructing by emphasizing a practical pillar of dharma: even gods and sages extol food, because the world’s functioning and human capacities depend on it; the statement supports broader teachings in Anuśāsana Parva on right conduct, giving, and sustaining society.