Shloka 353
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
न हीदृशं पुण्यफलं विचित्रमिह विद्यते । अतः युधिष्ठिर! तुम सारे दानोंको छोड़कर केवल अन्नदान करते रहो। इस संसारमें अन्नदानके समान विचित्र एवं पुण्यदायक दूसरा कोई दान नहीं है
na hīdṛśaṃ puṇyaphalaṃ vicitram iha vidyate | ataḥ yudhiṣṭhira! tvaṃ sarve dānāni tyaktvā kevalam annadānaṃ kurv iti | asmin saṃsāre annadānasamaṃ vicitraṃ puṇyadāyakaṃ ca dānam anyan na vidyate |
马尔坎德耶说道：“在此世间，再没有比这更奇妙、更能招致功德之果的了。因此，啊，坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）！当舍诸余施，唯当恒修施食之行。于人世之中，没有任何布施能与供养他人饮食相比——其效验之神奇、其福德之丰厚，皆无与伦比。”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
That feeding others (annadāna) is the most exceptional and merit-producing form of charity; it directly sustains life and therefore surpasses other gifts in ethical and spiritual value.
Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, emphasizing that among many possible acts of giving, the continual practice of donating food is uniquely powerful and should be prioritized.