Shloka 25
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
वस्त्रं यच्छति यो दिव्यं साधवे वै द्विजायते । स्वर्गे दिव्यांबरधरश्चिरं तिष्ठेद्द्विजोत्तम
vastraṃ yacchati yo divyaṃ sādhave vai dvijāyate | svarge divyāṃbaradharaściraṃ tiṣṭheddvijottama
اے دِویجوں کے سردار! جو کوئی نیک سادھو کو الٰہی لباس دان کرتا ہے، وہ یقیناً برہمنیت پاتا ہے اور سُورگ میں آسمانی پوشاک پہن کر دیر تک رہتا ہے۔
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within Brahma-khaṇḍa; vocative addressed to a dvija)
Concept: Giving fine clothing to a virtuous sādhū/dvija yields elevated status and prolonged heavenly enjoyment, reflecting the principle that gifts return in kind.
Application: Support genuine spiritual practitioners with practical needs (clothing, shelter, medicine) without display or expectation; choose worthy recipients and give respectfully.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble donor offers a neatly folded, luminous cloth to a serene sādhū-brāhmaṇa seated under a banyan near an āśrama, the recipient raising a hand in blessing. The scene transitions upward into svarga where the donor appears radiant, wearing shimmering celestial garments amid airy palaces and drifting lotus-clouds.","primary_figures":["donor","sādhū (virtuous dvija)","celestial attendants"],"setting":"Āśrama courtyard with sacred trees and a small shrine; upper sky register showing svarga with jeweled architecture.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["pearl white","sapphire blue","marigold gold","rose pink","jade green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: vastra-dāna to a sādhū in an āśrama, cloth rendered with bright highlights; above, svarga scene with the donor in divyāmbara, gold leaf halos, embossed textile patterns, rich reds/greens, and ornate celestial arches.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle gifting moment with refined expressions, translucent cloth texture, soft natural setting; upper corner shows svarga as a pale, jewel-toned city, cool blues and pinks, delicate brushwork and lyrical atmosphere.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures, the cloth as a central symbolic object, blessing gesture emphasized; svarga register above with stylized palaces and attendants, strong ochres/greens/reds and temple-wall compositional balance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional gifting framed by lotus and floral borders, intricate textile motifs echoing the gifted garment; deep blue background with gold highlights, peacocks and vines, and a celestial register showing the donor clothed in shimmering divyāmbara."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft mridangam pulse","breeze through leaves","distant conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दिव्यांबरधरश्चिरं = दिव्यांबरधरः + चिरम् (विसर्ग-सन्धि); तिष्ठेद्द्विजोत्तम = तिष्ठेत् + द्विजोत्तम (त् + द् → द्द्)
FAQs
It teaches that donating clothing—especially fine or ‘divine’ garments—to a virtuous person is a meritorious act that yields heavenly reward and elevated rebirth/status.
Clothing is a basic support of dignity and wellbeing; the verse frames it as a dhārmic gift that directly results in corresponding enjoyment—being ‘clad in celestial garments’ in heaven.
Generosity toward the worthy (sādhus/virtuous people) is presented as a practical dharma: giving materially to support virtue leads to both social good and personal spiritual merit.