Shloka 18
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
गृहस्थायान्नदानेन फलमाप्नोति मानवः । अन्नमेवास्य दातव्यं दत्वाप्नोति परां गतिम्
gṛhasthāyānnadānena phalamāpnoti mānavaḥ | annamevāsya dātavyaṃ datvāpnoti parāṃ gatim
گھر گرہست کے لیے اناج (کھانا) کا دان پُنّیہ کا پھل دیتا ہے۔ حقیقتاً اسی کو کھانا ہی دینا چاہیے؛ کھانا دے کر انسان اعلیٰ ترین منزل پاتا ہے۔
Unspecified (narrative/teaching voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa discourse)
Concept: Anna-dāna is the quintessential gift for a gṛhastha; feeding others becomes a direct path to the highest good.
Application: Keep a daily practice of feeding—guests, students, the needy, animals—before personal consumption; support community kitchens and prasāda distribution.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble gṛhastha household lays out steaming rice, lentils, and ghee on leaf-plates, offering first to a visiting brāhmaṇa and then to the hungry at the doorway. The scene radiates quiet sanctity—food as a sacrament—while a subtle Vishnu-like aura suggests the divine presence in the act of feeding.","primary_figures":["gṛhastha couple","brāhmaṇa guest","hungry travelers/poor","Vishnu (subtle aura or symbolic presence)"],"setting":"village courtyard with a small shrine, earthen pots, banana leaves, and a shaded veranda","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm turmeric yellow","clay brown","leaf green","ghee gold","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly ornamented household shrine backdrop, gṛhastha offering anna with gold-leaf highlights on vessels and halos, brāhmaṇa seated receiving, additional figures at the threshold, deep reds and greens, intricate border patterns, a small Vishnu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) above the food as sanctifying motif.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard feeding scene with delicate brushwork, soft textiles, leaf-plates and brass lotā, gentle facial expressions, cool evening tones with warm lamp glow, distant trees and a small temple spire, lyrical domestic devotion.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized eyes, rhythmic arrangement of figures around the food offering, flat planes of yellow-red-green pigments, decorative floral bands, a symbolic conch and discus motif hovering to indicate divine approval.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central anna-sevā tableau framed by lotus and creeper borders, peacocks near grain baskets, deep blue ground with gold floral filigree, a small shrine niche with Vishnu/Śrī symbols, emphasis on abundance and sacred hospitality."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["clinking brass vessels","soft conch in distance","village ambience","temple bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गृहस्थाय + अन्नदानेन → गृहस्थायान्नदानेन; फलम् + आप्नोति → फलमाप्नोति; अन्नम् + एव + अस्य → अन्नमेवास्य; दत्त्वा + आप्नोति → दत्वाप्नोति.
FAQs
It teaches that anna-dāna (donation of food) is a foremost charity for householders and leads to great spiritual merit, culminating in the “supreme goal” (parā gati).
Food sustains life directly; therefore, giving food is presented as an especially potent and practical form of dāna that supports dharma and yields high merit.
Prioritize essential, life-supporting generosity—helping others meet basic needs (like nourishment)—as a concrete expression of moral and spiritual responsibility.