Danavastu (देयम्)

The appropriate item for charity, Danavastu, called Deyam (Samskrit : देयम्) is a vast topic described in the ancient hindu literature. Among the deya things, many puranas refer to different things as best, medium and of least significance each in a different way. Example : Skanda purana refers to curd and honey dana is of least type whereas they are among the best according to Hemadri (Page 16 of Reference).

Definition of Deyam

A simple definition of Deyam as given by Devala quoted in Chaturvarga Chintamani of Hemadri is

अपराबाधमक्लेशं प्रयत्नेनार्जीतं धनम् । स्वल्पं वा विपुलं वापि देयमित्यभिदीयते ॥ (Page 15 of Ref )

Meaning : That is deyam, (proper subject for a gift) which has been acquired by the donor himself without causing pain or loss to another or without worry of trouble to himself, whether it be small or valuable.

It is not the extent of the gift that causes greater or lesser merit. Merit (punya) depends upon the mental attitude, the capacity of the giver and the way in which the donor acquired his wealth.

If a man were to given even the whole earth acquired by unjust means, or if he gives without shraddha or to an unsuitable recipient, he would secure no prosperity (religious merit) thereby. On the other hand, even a handful of vegetables with a heart full of shraddha given to a worthy person, secure him all prosperity. Instantly, the offer of amla (small gooseberry) to Adi Shankaracharya (the worthiest recipient) which secured immense prosperity to the donor, comes to one's mind.

If one possessing a thousand gives away a gift of 100 or one having ten gives away 1 and another gives only water according to his ability, they all reap an equal reward.

Deya Things

Among many things that are given in general for dana such as food, land, cows, gold, honey, clothes, lamps, education etc, on special occasions such as during shrarddha, sesame are given. A brief exposure to different items for gift is given in the following section as explained in a few texts as follows:

Yajnavalkya smriti

According to this smriti, a person making a gift of land (capable of yielding a crop or fruits), lamp, wood, garment, water (water reservoir), sesame, ghee, rest house for travellers, money for getting a person married, gold, draught ox, is honoured in the heavenly world. One who makes a gift of a house, corn, protection from danger, shoes, umbrella, flowers, fragrances, conveyance (chariot etc), tree, a desired thing, a cot secures endless happiness.

भूदीपांश् चान्नवस्त्राम्भस्- तिलसर्पिःप्रतिश्रयान् । नैवेशिकं स्वर्णधुर्यं दत्त्वा स्वर्गे महीयते ॥ यास्मृ१.२१० ॥

गृहधान्याभयोपानच्- छत्रमाल्यानुलेपनम् । यानं वृक्षं प्रियं शय्यां दत्त्वात्यन्तं सुखी भवेत् ॥ यास्मृ१.२११ ॥ (Yajn. Smri. 1.210 and 211)

Vashistha Dharmasutras

Gifts of three things are said to be superior to the gift of anything else, and are styled Atidana, namely of cows, land, and Sarasvati (vidya) according to Vashishta Dharmasutras.

त्रीण्याहुरतिदानानि गावः पृथ्वी सरस्वती । अतिदानं हि दानानां विध्दानं ततोऽधिकम्॥ (Vash. Dhar. 29.19)

Chaturvarga Chintamani

Among the various things classified as Deyam, a different view of Hemadri quoting Devala is as follows:

अन्नं दधि मधु त्राणं गोभूरुक्माश्वहस्तिनः । दानान्युत्तमदानानि उत्तमद्रव्यदानतः ॥

विद्यादानादनावास-परिभोगौषधानि च । दानानि मध्यमानीह मध्यद्रव्यदानतः ॥

परिभोग इति परिभोगसाधनं खट्वासनादि । उपानत्प्रेङ्खयानानि छत्रपात्रासनानि च । दीपकाष्ठफलादीनि चरमं बहुवार्षिकम् ॥

बहुत्वादर्थजातानां संख्या शेषेषु नेष्यते ।अधमान्यवशिष्टानि सर्व्वदानान्यती विदुः ॥ (Page 16 of Reference).

Summary : Food, curds, honey, protection, cow, land, gold, horses and elephants - gifts of these nine are said to be uttama (best). Vidya (gift of education), house for unsheltered, domestic household items of comfort (परिभोग such as cots), medicines - gifts of these four are said to be of medium level. Shoes, swings, carts, umbrellas, vessals, seat to sit, lamps, wood, fruits, whatever is old and worn out, and all other unspecified objects are inferior.

Best of Dana

Although various occasions have different things prescribed as deyam according to texts, following are considered as the greatest of gifts donating which brings unsurpassed rewards to the donor.

Vidyadana : Along with Vashistha dharmasutras, Manusmriti (4.233) and Atrismriti (340), Yajnavalkya smriti (1.212) say that the gift of vidya (vidyadana) is foremost among other gifts such as those of water, food, cows, land, garments, sesame, gold and clarified butter.

Annadana : Mahabharata, Vanaparva describes annadana as one which bestows immense punya and is equal to no other gift.

तस्मात् त्वं सर्वदानानि हित्वान्नं सम्प्रयच्छह न हीदृशं पुण्यफलं विचित्रमिह विद्यते। (Maha. Vana. 200.35)

अन्नमेव विशिष्टं हि तस्मात्परतरं न च॥ (Maha. Vana. 200.37)

Bhudana : According to Vashishta Dharmasutras (29.16) Matsya Purana and Mahabharata Anushasana parva (62.6 and 19), the gift of land is proclaimed to be the highest of dana.

Abhayadana : Vishnudharmasutras (92.1) says that the gift of protection from danger is the highest.

Dana Forms

Danas of various types are seen associated with individual's religious activities such as yajna, yaga, shraaddha, vratas, and samskaras, during eclipses and sankranti (sun's passage into a zodiac sign), teerthayatras. Dana for community benefit is called as Utsarga, which was mainly taken up by the governance involving kings and emperors. Gifts of certain kinds are called Mahadanas. A brief list of deya things are mentioned here under different headings.

Mahadanas (महादानानि)

These include the Dashadanas (दशदानानि) which are ten in number and Shodashadanas (षोडशदानानि) which constitute donation of 16 kinds of things. We see from the following information that some items of dana are of the same material even though their construction is different (dhenu or parvata). These are described in great detail in Puranas viz.

Dashadanas : Agnipurana (209.23-24) describes them in detail - dana of gold, horses, sesame, elephants, maids, chariots, land, houses, a bride, and a dark - brown (kapila) cow constitute the ten dashadanas.

Shodashadanas : Agnipurana (210.1 to 4) Matsya Purana (274 to 289) Linga Purana (Uttaratha.28) describe the sixteen mahadanas as :

• तुलापुरुषदानम् । Tulapurusha dana
• हिरण्यगर्भदानम् । Hiranyagarbha dana
• ब्रह्माण्डंदानम् । Brahmanda dana
• कल्पवृक्षदानम् । Kalpavriksha dana
• गोसहस्रदानम् । Gosahasra dana
• हिरण्यकामधेनुदानम् । Kamadhenu or Hiranyakamadhenu dana
• हिरण्याश्वदानम् । Hiranyashva dana
• हिरण्याश्वरथदानम् । Hiranyashvaratha or Ashvaratha dana
• हस्तिरथदानम् । Hemahastiratha or Hastiratha dana
• पञ्चलाङ्गलदानम् । Panchalangala dana
• धरादानम् । Dharadana or Haiadharadana
• विश्वचक्रं दानम् । Vishvachakra dana
• कल्पलता दानम् । Kalpalata or Mahakalpalata dana
• सप्तसागरदानम् । Saptasagara dana
• रत्नधेनुदानम् । Ratnadhenu dana
• महाभूतघटदानम् । Mahabhutaghata dana

Each of these is considered sacred and is expected to enhance the donor's age and virtue, to absolve one of all guilt and save him/her from nightmares. While the shodasha danas are clearly royal gifts or ones that are feasible only for the very rich, dasha danas are for people with more limited means. Both are accompanied by dakshina to the brahmins and elaborate rituals, ceremonies, feast for the guest and annadana and vastradana to the poor.

Dhenudanas (धेनुदानानि)

In imitation of the gift of the cow, gift of certain articles were made and they are described as dhenus. Matsya Purana (82.17 to 22) and Agnipurana (210.11-12) enumerate the same ten dhenus made of different materials. Matsya Purana cites the following dhenudanas along with three others

• गुडधेनुः । Gudadhenu (jaggery)
• घृतधेनुः । Ghrtadhenu (ghee)
• तिलधेनुः । Tiladhenu (sesame)
• जलधेनुः । Jaladhenu (water)
• क्षीरधेनुः । Kshiradhenu (milk)
• मधुधेनुः । Madhudhenu (honey)
• शर्कराधेनुः । Sharkaradhenu (sugar)
• दधिर्धेनुः । Dadhidhenu (curds)
• रसधेनुः । Rasadhenu (Other liquids)
• धेनुः स्वरूपतः । Dhenu swaroopa (dhenu itself)
• सुवर्णधेनुः । Suvarnadhenu (gold)
• नवनीतधेनुः । Navanitadhenu (butter)
• रत्नधेनुः । Ratnadhenu (precious stones)

These mostly follow the same template: a motif of a cow and calf made on a dark coloured antelope skin laid on the floor, cleaned with cowdung and has been covered with kusha grass with the neck portion facing east direction. A smaller skin (represents a calf) is also spread prepared in the same manner. The body is made with main item of the daan, for example if jaggery is the item to be donated a mound of 2 or 4 bharas (a unit of measure) is placed on the skin. If this is in liquid form, then pots are used to keep the material. If the material is dry, then it is kept in a mound. Various articles such as conch shells, sugarcane pieces, pearls, chowries, corals are placed on the skin to represent various limbs of the cow. This is then worshipped with dhupa (incense) and lamps and invoked with pauranika mantras. The the articles are donated to a brahmana.

Parvatadana (पर्वतदानानि)

The Matsya Purana (Adhyayas 83 and 92) speaks of ten kinds of danas called Parvatadanas (Matsya Purana 83.4 to 6)

• धान्यशैलः। Dhanya (grains)
• लवणाचलः । Lavana (salt)
• गुड़ाचलः । Guda (jaggery)
• हेमपर्वतः । Hema (gold)
• तिलशैलः । Tila (sesame)
• कार्पासपर्वतः । Karpasa (cotton)
• घृतशैलः । Ghrta (ghee)
• रत्नशैलः । Ratna (precious stones)
• रजताचलः । Rajata (silver)
• शर्कराचलः । Sharkara (sugar)

Merudana (मेरुदानानि)

This daan is performed after observing Meru Vrata on Kartika Poornima as described in Agnipurana (Adhyaya 212). It can also be made on Sankranti when surya transits into a new zodiac (takes 30 days). Meru refers to a legendary sacred mountain, considered to be the centre of Universe. Meru daan refers to a pile (symbolizing Meru mountain) made with a particular item, surrounded by twelve smaller piles (symbolizing Malyavaan, Bhadrashv, Riksh, Nishadh, Hemkoot, Himvaan/ Himalaya, Neel, Shwet, Shringvan, Gandhmaadan, Vaikang and Ketumaal mountains). Different forms of Meru Daan are:

1. Ratn Meru

2. Suvarn Meru

3. Rajat Meru

4. Bhoomi Meru

5. Hasti Meru

6. Ashv Meru

7. Gau Meru

8. Vastra Meru

9. Ajya Meru

10. Khaand Meru

11. Dhanya Meru

12. Til Meru

Tila Dana

Donation of sesame is very important and many special forms of this have evolved, each with a specific purpose. Specific forms of Til Daan are:

1. Til Rashi Daan

2. Til Patra Daan

3. Maha Til Patra Daan

4. Til Padm Daan

5. Til Poorn Kamsya Patra Daan

6. Til Kumbh Daan

7. Til Karak Daan

8. Tilaranjak Daan

9. Til Peeth Daan

10. Til Adarsh Daan

11. Ahamkar Daan

12. Rudra Ekadash Til Daan

13. Til Garbh Daan

Tila dana is done to expiate one from various sins, including patricide. Significance of Tila dana is for healing as remedy to cure many diseases such as tuberculosis, skin diseases such as eczema, leprosy, speech impediment and mental diseases such as hallucinations and nightmares.

Grahashanti Dana

Yajnavalkya smriti (1.295 to 308) deals extensively with Grahashanti or propitiation of planets. He who desires for prosperity, averting calamities, good rains, long life and health should perform yajnas to propitiate the nine grahas (planets) viz. ravi (sun), chandra (moon), kuja (mars), budha (mercury), guru (jupiter), sukra (venus), sani (saturn), Rahu and Ketu grahas. The Matsya purana (Adhyaya 93) contains a detailed procedure of grahashanti and adhyaya 94 describes how the images of nine planets are to be represented. In modern times the articles to be donated to propitiate the nine planets are stated in Dharmasindhu (Vol 2, Part 2)