Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
The Teaching on Śiva-Dharma and the Supremacy of Food-Giving
within the Pitṛtīrtha–Yayāti Episode
अन्नदानप्रदः सर्वमिहामुत्र फलं लभेत् । यस्यान्नपानपुष्टांगः कुरुते पुण्यसंचयम्
annadānapradaḥ sarvamihāmutra phalaṃ labhet | yasyānnapānapuṣṭāṃgaḥ kurute puṇyasaṃcayam
اَنّ دان کرنے والا اِس لوک اور پرلوک دونوں میں ہر پھل پاتا ہے۔ جس کے اعضا کھانے پینے سے پرورش پاتے ہیں، وہ پُنّیہ کا ذخیرہ کرتا ہے۔
Unspecified (narrative voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; exact dialogue speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Concept: Feeding others generates merit because nourishment enables the recipient to perform dharma and accumulate puṇya.
Application: Give food and water with respect (no humiliation); prioritize nourishing those who serve (students, workers, caregivers); donate staples regularly; pair charity with kind speech.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate donor offers bowls of food and water to travelers; as each person eats, faint luminous threads rise from their strengthened bodies, symbolizing puṇya accumulating through renewed capacity for dharma. The scene subtly splits into two horizons—earthly village life and a distant celestial path—showing ‘ihāmutra’ rewards.","primary_figures":["householder donor (gṛhastha)","travelers/atithis","a mendicant","children receiving food"],"setting":"Village threshold with a shaded veranda, earthen pots of water, and a small tulsi-less but sacred household altar in the background","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm ochre","copper brown","sky blue","white jasmine","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a gṛhastha couple performing anna-dāna at their doorway, ornate brass pots and plates rendered with gold leaf, a small altar niche behind them, recipients seated in orderly rows, rich maroon and emerald textiles, embossed halos suggesting merit radiating outward.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic charity—soft dawn light, delicate facial expressions of gratitude, a veranda with patterned rugs, distant fields and a pale river line, cool blues and greens balanced with saffron garments, lyrical calm emphasizing ‘ihāmutra’ continuity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figures with bold outlines—donor pouring water from a pot and serving rice, rhythmic composition of seated recipients, flat red/yellow/green pigments, symbolic puṇya as lotus-like motifs rising above nourished bodies.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus medallion representing divine merit, attendants distributing prasāda-like food, ornate floral borders, peacocks and cows at corners, deep indigo and gold, devotional ambience linking charity to Krishna’s grace."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["flowing water","soft birdsong","low temple bell","gentle handbell","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अन्नदानप्रदः = अन्न + दान + प्रदः; सर्वमिहामुत्र = सर्वम् + इह + अमुत्र; यस्यान्नपानपुष्टांगः = यस्य + अन्न + पान + पुष्ट + अङ्गः; पुण्यसंचयम् = पुण्य + संचयम्.
FAQs
It teaches that charity in the form of giving food (anna-dāna) yields comprehensive benefits in both this life and the afterlife, because it enables others to sustain themselves and perform meritorious actions.
Because food and drink directly sustain the body; when a person is nourished, they can carry out duties, worship, and ethical actions—thus generating puṇya (spiritual merit).
Support others’ basic needs first: providing nourishment is portrayed as a foundational form of compassion that empowers people to live righteously and build merit.