Shloka 43

Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच नारदेनैवमुक्तो5हमदामन्नं सदा नृप । अनसूयुस्त्वमप्यन्नं तस्माद्‌ देहि गतज्वर:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca nāradenaivam ukto ’ham adām annaṃ sadā nṛpa | anasūyus tvam apy annaṃ tasmād dehi gata-jvaraḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩曰：“大王啊，自那罗陀如是告我施食之大功德以来，我便恒常行施食之善。故汝亦当离嫉妒与苛责，常行施食；愿汝忧恼之热病消散。”

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• नारदेन: by Narada
• नारदेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• उक्तः: having been told/addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Past Passive Participle (kta), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• अदाम्: I gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Imperfect, First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अनसूयुः: free from envy/carping
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनसूयु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वम्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तस्मात्: therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात्

• देहि: give
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• गतज्वरः: whose fever has gone (free from fever)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गतज्वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Narada
• King (nṛpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Food-giving (anna-dāna) is upheld as a powerful dharmic act; one should give without envy or fault-finding, and such generosity alleviates inner ‘fever’—distress and agitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma recalls that Narada taught him the greatness of donating food; he adopted the practice continually and now urges the king to do the same, abandoning jealousy and negativity.