Shloka 7

अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā

Devanagari script

यद्‌ यदिष्टतमं लोके यच्चास्य दयितं गृहे । तत्‌ तद्‌ गुणवते देयं तदेवाक्षयमिच्छता

Transliteration

yad yadiṣṭatamaṃ loke yaccāsya dayitaṃ gṛhe | tat tad guṇavate deyaṃ tadevākṣayam icchatā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Bất cứ điều gì được xem là quý mến nhất ở đời, và bất cứ vật gì thân yêu trong chính ngôi nhà mình—chính những thứ ấy nên đem cho người có công đức. Với ai mong quả báo của bố thí trở nên bất hoại, thì cho như vậy mới là đúng đạo.”

Word by Word

• {'yad yad': 'whatever, whichever (repeated for emphasis)', 'iṣṭatamam': 'most desired, most beloved (superlative of iṣṭa)', 'loke': 'in the world, among people', 'yat ca': 'and whatever', 'asya': 'of him/one’s (genitive)', 'dayitam': 'dear, beloved', 'gṛhe': 'in the house, at home', 'tat tat': "that very (corresponding to 'whatever')", 'guṇavate': 'to the virtuous/meritorious person (dat. of guṇavat)', 'deyam': 'should be given

• is to be given (gerundive)', 'tat eva': 'that alone/that indeed', 'akṣayam': 'imperishable, inexhaustible', 'icchatā': 'by one who desires (instr. of present participle)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• guṇavat (a virtuous/meritorious recipient)
• gṛha (home/household possessions)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To make the fruit of charity imperishable, one should give not leftovers or what is easy to part with, but what one truly values—offered to a worthy, virtuous recipient.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially dāna-dharma), he advises the listener that the highest-quality giving is to offer one’s most cherished possessions to a deserving person, thereby ensuring enduring spiritual merit.