Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

अन्नेन सदृशं दानं न भूतं न भविष्यति । तस्मादन्नं विशेषेण दातुमिच्छन्ति मानवा:,अन्नके समान न कोई दान था और न होगा। इसलिये मनुष्य अधिकतर अन्नका ही दान करना चाहते हैं

Transliteration

annena sadṛśaṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati | tasmād annaṃ viśeṣeṇa dātum icchanti mānavāḥ ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：“从未有过、也永不会有任何施舍能与施食相等。因此人们明白其殊胜价值，最愿意以食物行布施。”

Word by Word

• अन्नेन: with/like food; by food
• अन्नेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सदृशम्: similar (to)
• सदृशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दानम्: gift; charity
• दानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• भूतम्: has been; existed (past)
• भूतम्: Karta
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• भविष्यति: will be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 3rd, Singular

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

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

• विशेषेण: especially; particularly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष

• दातुम्: to give
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: दा
• Form: Infinitive (Tumun)

• इच्छन्ति: desire; wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 3rd, Plural

• मानवाः: men; humans
• मानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• anna (food)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that giving food (anna-dāna) is the highest form of charity because it directly sustains life; hence it is ethically singled out as incomparable among gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is instructing on dāna-dharma (the duty and value of giving), emphasizing to the listener that food-giving is uniquely important and therefore widely preferred by people who seek to practice merit-bearing charity.