Rantideva’s Supreme Charity and the Hastī Lineage
Hastināpura and Pañcāla Origins
क्षुत्तृट्श्रमो गात्रपरिभ्रमश्च दैन्यं क्लम: शोकविषादमोहा: । सर्वे निवृत्ता: कृपणस्य जन्तो- र्जिजीविषोर्जीवजलार्पणान्मे ॥ १३ ॥
kṣut-tṛṭ-śramo gātra-paribhramaś ca dainyaṁ klamaḥ śoka-viṣāda-mohāḥ sarve nivṛttāḥ kṛpaṇasya jantor jijīviṣor jīva-jalārpaṇān me
我将自己的水布施给这为生存而挣扎的贫苦旃陀罗,以维系其命;因此我的饥饿、口渴、疲惫、身躯颤动、卑苦、烦恼、哀伤、忧郁与迷妄,皆悉止息。
It says that the speaker’s hunger, thirst, exhaustion, grief, and confusion were relieved simply by receiving water—describing how a small act of care can restore life and hope.
In the Duṣyanta–Śakuntalā narrative, he expresses how his intense distress was pacified when he was given water, highlighting gratitude and the dharmic virtue of hospitality and compassion.
It teaches that simple service—like giving water, food, or timely help—can transform someone’s suffering and is a practical expression of dharma and devotion.