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basic article on [[Uma-Sankara Samvada (discussion) on Grhisthadharma]]
basic article on [[Uma-Sankara Samvada (discussion) on Grhisthadharma]]
basic article on
basic article on [[dadasvannam yudhisthira
Greatness of Food and the Giving of Food
dadasvannam dadasvannam dadasvannam yudhisthira
"Give food! Give food! Give food!" Thus spake Srikrsna to Yudhisthira,
while advising him on dana, the discipline of giving, in the
Bhavisyapurana.1
The Bhavisyapurana is probably recounting the conversation
that takes place in the Mahabharata between Srikrsna and Yudhisthira
at the culmination of the asvamedhayajha undertaken by the
latter after the victory in the war. Before the yajha, Yudhisthira
along with his brothers, and in the presence of Srikrsna, sits at the
feet of Bhlsma lying on his bed of arrows, and at his request, the
grand old man instructs the freshly anointed king of Hastinapura
on all aspects of dharma. BhTsma's instructions run to about 25,000
verses, constituting almost a quarter of the epic, and comprising
two major parvans, the santiparvan and anusasanaparvan of the
Mahabharata. It is at the end of this great instruction that Bhlsma
leaves his mortal body, and Krsnadvaipayanavyasa and Srikrsna advise
the grief-stricken Yudhisthira to undertake asvamedha, the
yajna of the great kings.
After performing the asvamedha, and being relieved of the great
effort and activity that such a yajna involves, Yudhisthira wants to
be instructed by Snkrsna himself on the intricacies of dharma.
Srlkrsna's instructions run through another 1,300 verses, constituting
the vaisnavadharmaparvan in the southern reading of the
Mahabharata.
^havisya 4.169.2, p. 526
1
GREATNESS OF FOOD AND THE GIVING OF FOOD
Towards the end of this grand discourse on dharma, Yudhisthira asks Srlkrsna for the essence of the entire teaching of BhTsma:
bhismavdkyat sarabhutam vada dharmam suresvara?
To which Srlkrsna replies: annena dhdryate sarvarh jagadetaccara-
caram... annadah pranado loke pranadah sarvado bhavet. tasmadannam
visesena datavyam bhutimicchata? "The world, both animate an
inanimate, is sustained by food... The giver of food is the giver of life and indeed of everything else. Therefore, one who is desirous
of well-being in this world and beyond should make special
endeavour to give food."
This is how Srlkrsna summarizes the monumental teachings of
BhTsma. It is not for nothing therefore that the Bhavisyapurana
renders the essence of dharma as conveyed by Srlkrsna in the
urgendy imperative command: dadasvdnnam dadasvdnnam dadasvdnnam
yudhisthira.
basic article on [[The five great Yagyas of Grihasthas (Pancaiva mahayajnah)]]
basic article on [[The five great Yagyas of Grihasthas (Pancaiva mahayajnah)]]