Shloka 57
Supremacy of Hari-Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Warnings on Sensual Attachment; Praise of Brāhmaṇas, Purāṇa-Listening, and Gaṅgā
सघृतं भोजनं चास्मै दत्त्वा कल्पं स मोदते । नानासुमिष्टमन्नं यो ददाति द्विजतुष्टये
saghṛtaṃ bhojanaṃ cāsmai dattvā kalpaṃ sa modate | nānāsumiṣṭamannaṃ yo dadāti dvijatuṣṭaye
اسے گھی کے ساتھ کھانا دے کر انسان ایک کَلپ تک مسرور رہتا ہے۔ اور جو برہمن کی تسکین کے لیے طرح طرح کے شیریں اور عمدہ پکے ہوئے کھانے پیش کرے، وہ وہی ثواب پاتا ہے۔
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Feeding a brāhmaṇa with nourishing food (especially with ghee) yields long-lasting joy and merit; generosity refined by care and quality matters.
Application: Offer food with attention—warm, wholesome, and respectfully served; include ‘ghee’ as symbol of richness/heartfelt care; practice sweet speech and gratitude while serving.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa sits on a kusa mat, hands cupped in blessing, while a devotee serves a gleaming bowl of rice and sweets, pouring a thin ribbon of ghee that catches the light. The air feels sanctified—like a domestic yajña—where the sweetness of food mirrors the sweetness of merit.","primary_figures":["brāhmaṇa recipient","devotee householder","family members in respectful attendance"],"setting":"clean courtyard or temple anna-śālā with leaf plates, brass lamps, and a small altar in the background","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["ghee-gold","ivory rice-white","jaggery-brown","saffron","peacock-blue accents"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central act of serving rice and sweets with a luminous ghee stream; gold leaf highlights on vessels and ghee; rich red-green background, ornate jewelry on donor, dignified brāhmaṇa with sacred thread, temple-lamp glow and decorative arch framing the scene.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic hospitality scene; delicate rendering of sweets and ghee; soft shadows, refined faces; a small tulsi pot may appear as household detail (not textual), with gentle naturalism and cool-warm balance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized serving gesture, bold outlines; ghee stream emphasized as bright yellow ribbon; symmetrical composition with lamp and altar motifs; traditional pigment palette and temple-wall feel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: anna-dāna tableau framed by lotus borders; repeated motifs of sweets and lamps; subtle Vaishnava symbols in the textile; deep indigo ground with gold and saffron highlights, peacocks at corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft bell","spoon clink on brass bowl","low chanting","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चास्मै = च + अस्मै; नानासुमिष्टमन्नम् = नाना + सुमिष्टमन्नम्; द्विजतुष्टये (समास).
FAQs
It praises anna-dāna (the gift of food), specifically feeding with ghee and offering delicious foods to satisfy a brāhmaṇa (dvija), presenting it as a highly meritorious act.
It is a conventional Purāṇic way of expressing extraordinarily long-lasting merit (puṇya-phala), indicating that the spiritual benefit of feeding others is vast and enduring.
Generosity through nourishing others—especially respectful hospitality and feeding—creates significant merit and is upheld as a key dharmic virtue.