Shloka 11

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

Devanagari script

कृशाय कृतविद्याय वृत्तिक्षीणाय सीदते | अपहन्यात्‌ क्षुधां यस्तु न तेन पुरुष: सम:

Transliteration

kṛśāya kṛtavidyāya vṛttikṣīṇāya sīdate | apahanyāt kṣudhāṃ yas tu na tena puruṣaḥ samaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“对于那瘦弱憔悴之人，纵然有学识，却生计凋敝、沉沦于苦难；能解除其饥饿者，德行之士中无人可与之比。最高的功德，在于以适时的食物与扶助，维系有学之人及失势之人。”

Word by Word

• कृशाय: to a weak/emaciated (person)
• कृशाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative, Singular

• कृतविद्याय: to one who has acquired learning/education
• कृतविद्याय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतविद्या
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative, Singular

• वृत्तिक्षीणाय: to one whose livelihood is diminished
• वृत्तिक्षीणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्तिक्षीण
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative, Singular

• सीदते: sinks/is distressed
• सीदते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सद्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• अपहन्यात्: should remove/ward off
• अपहन्यात्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-हन्
• Form: Optative (Potential), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• क्षुधाम्: hunger
• क्षुधाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुध्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तेन: by/than him
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• पुरुषः: man/person
• पुरुषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समः: equal
• समः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Feeding and sustaining a distressed person—especially one who is learned yet impoverished—is presented as an unsurpassed act of merit; removing hunger is among the highest forms of dharmic charity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he praises the ethical greatness of one who relieves hunger in a suffering, livelihood-deprived person, elevating practical compassion above other claims to virtue.