Shloka 47
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
धान्यदः शाश्वतं सौख्यं ब्रह्मदो ब्रह्मशाश्वतम् । धान्यान्यपि यथाशक्ति विप्रेषु प्रतिपादयेत्
dhānyadaḥ śāśvataṃ saukhyaṃ brahmado brahmaśāśvatam | dhānyānyapi yathāśakti vipreṣu pratipādayet
جو اناج کا دان کرتا ہے وہ دائمی سکھ پاتا ہے؛ اور جو برہمن (مقدّس ودیا) کا دان کرتا ہے وہ ابدی برہمن کو پاتا ہے۔ اس لیے اپنی استطاعت کے مطابق برہمنوں کو غلہ پیش کرے۔
Unspecified (narratorial instruction within the Svargakhaṇḍa context)
Concept: Anna-dāna yields enduring sukha; brahma-dāna (imparting sacred knowledge) yields brahma-prāpti; therefore give according to capacity to worthy recipients.
Application: Set a realistic, regular practice: donate staples monthly; sponsor Veda/śāstra teaching or books; support a teacher or student; keep giving proportional (yathāśakti) to avoid pride or strain.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene courtyard of a Vaishnava āśrama where sacks of grain are being measured with care and offered to learned brāhmaṇas seated on kusa mats. In the background, a palm-leaf manuscript and a small lamp symbolize brahma-dāna, suggesting that nourishment and knowledge are twin offerings that lead to lasting joy and liberation.","primary_figures":["pious householder donor","brāhmaṇa recipients","scribe/teacher with palm-leaf manuscript","Vishnu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) as auspicious motif"],"setting":"Āśrama or temple-annadāna hall with granary jars, weighing scales, kusa mats, and a manuscript stand","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["saffron ochre","rice-white","leaf green","lamp-gold","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a Vaishnava annadāna scene in a pillared mandapa, donor offering measured grain to seated brāhmaṇas; a palm-leaf manuscript and oil lamp beside them signifying brahma-dāna; gold leaf embellishment on pillars, lamp flames, and ornaments; rich reds and greens, gem-studded details, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry, subtle śaṅkha-cakra motifs in the arch.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet āśrama courtyard with delicate brushwork; donor kneeling with a grain basket, brāhmaṇas receiving with calm gestures; a manuscript on a low wooden stand; cool natural palette with lyrical trees and distant hills; refined faces, soft textiles, and fine linework emphasizing humility and ‘yathāśakti’ giving.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments; annadāna in a temple corridor with stylized eyes and rhythmic forms; brāhmaṇas seated in a row, donor offering grain; lamp and manuscript rendered as sacred symbols; dominant red/yellow/green palette with ornamental borders and auspicious Vaishnava emblems.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: an annadāna pavilion framed by lotus and floral borders; subtle Krishna-Vishnu presence via śaṅkha-cakra banners; devotees distributing grain to brāhmaṇas; intricate textile patterns, peacocks at the border, deep blues and gold accents, devotional abundance without clutter."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","murmured Vedic chanting","grain pouring into a measure","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धान्यान्यपि = धान्यानि + अपि; ब्रह्मशाश्वतम् treated as कर्मधारय compound; प्रतिपादयेत् is optative of प्रति-√पद् ‘to present/offer’.
FAQs
It teaches the dharmic value of dāna: giving grain leads to lasting worldly well-being, while giving brahman (spiritual knowledge) leads to the eternal spiritual goal; one should donate according to capacity.
It refers to one who gives “brahman,” commonly understood as sacred/spiritual knowledge (or that which leads to realization of Brahman), and such giving is said to yield an eternal spiritual fruit.
Charity should be practiced proportionately—without vanity or self-harm—so that giving remains sincere, sustainable, and aligned with one’s real means.