Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 73
Dharmānukathana
Narration of Dharma
सद्यस्तुष्टिकरं ज्ञेयं जलदानं यतोऽधिकम् । अन्नदानान्नृपश्रेष्ठ निर्दिष्टं ब्रह्मवादिभिः ॥ ७३ ॥
sadyastuṣṭikaraṃ jñeyaṃ jaladānaṃ yato'dhikam | annadānānnṛpaśreṣṭha nirdiṣṭaṃ brahmavādibhiḥ || 73 ||
جان لو کہ پانی کا دان فوراً تسکین دیتا ہے؛ پھر بھی، اے بہترین بادشاہ، برہما کے جاننے والوں نے اَنّ دان کو اس سے بھی زیادہ برتر قرار دیا ہے۔
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; addressed to a king as narrative exemplar)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It ranks charitable gifts by their dharmic impact: water-giving yields instant relief and merit, while food-giving is upheld as a higher, more sustaining form of compassion and punya.
By urging service to living beings through essential gifts, it frames charity as a practical expression of devotion—pleasing the Divine through compassionate action rather than mere speech.
It reflects Dharma-śāstra style ritual ethics—how to prioritize dana in practice—though it does not directly teach a specific Vedanga like Vyakarana or Jyotisha in this verse.