Shloka 54
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
स्थिते धने नरो यो वै नाश्नाति न ददाति सः । दरिद्र इव विज्ञेयः प्रेत्य निश्वासमुत्सृजेत्
sthite dhane naro yo vai nāśnāti na dadāti saḥ | daridra iva vijñeyaḥ pretya niśvāsamutsṛjet
مال موجود ہو پھر بھی جو آدمی نہ خود اس سے فائدہ اٹھائے نہ دان کرے، وہ حقیقت میں فقیر سمجھا جائے؛ مرنے کے بعد وہ بس آخری سانس چھوڑ کر سب کچھ یہیں چھوڑ جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Wealth unused for rightful enjoyment or charity is functionally poverty; death strips all possessions, leaving only the last breath.
Application: Avoid both miserliness and compulsive accumulation; convert resources into service—feed someone, support learning, maintain a lamp in a temple, care for dependents.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A man sits beside a full granary and a laden dining tray, yet his hands are closed and his gaze is vacant—symbolizing refusal to enjoy or give. The scene dissolves into a quiet deathbed moment where a thin wisp of breath leaves his lips, while the untouched wealth remains behind like silent witnesses.","primary_figures":["a wealthy yet miserly man","family/servants as distant onlookers","a subtle personification of Death (Mṛtyu) or Kāla"],"setting":"interior of a merchant’s house—granary, treasury room, and a deathbed chamber blended in a continuous narrative","lighting_mood":"forest dappled (for life scene) shifting to dim lamp-lit (deathbed)","color_palette":["antique gold","olive green","lamp-flame amber","slate grey","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: opulent interior with gold leaf on treasure chests and vessels; central figure with clenched fists; right side transitions to a deathbed with a faint departing breath line; ornate pillars and arch, rich reds/greens, gem-studded ornaments, moral narrative panel.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic scene with delicate shading; the untouched meal and closed hands emphasized; a soft dissolve into a quiet deathbed under a small oil lamp; cool greys and warm ambers, refined expressions conveying wasted opportunity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized interior with bold outlines; wealth objects in flat luminous yellow; the last breath shown as a curling white ribbon; rhythmic composition, temple-wall storytelling aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic household scene framed by floral borders; wealth vessels as decorative motifs; the departing breath as a white vine curling upward; deep blue/indigo ground with gold highlights, allegorical tone."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft lamp crackle","distant temple bell","quiet breathing","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्थिते धने (locative absolute sense). नाश्नाति = न + अश्नाति. निश्वासमुत्सृजेत् = निश्वासम् + उत्सृजेत् (m + u sandhi).
FAQs
It teaches that hoarding without either rightful enjoyment or charitable giving makes a person effectively “poor,” because wealth unused for dharma or sustenance yields no lasting value.
It emphasizes impermanence: at death one can take nothing—only the final breath—so unused wealth is ultimately abandoned.
The verse supports dāna as a key dharmic use of prosperity: wealth gains meaning when it sustains oneself appropriately and is shared for righteous causes and the welfare of others.