PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering

 श्री  गणेश  मंदिर   -  शिक्षा वाणी – 16^th June 2019

Serene Sunday Reflections

 

PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering

KEY WORDS :: Dhaanam (offering), Annadaanam, Vidyadaanam

 

Annadana or the gift of food is one kind of service (paropakara). We talk of service to the poor, social service and so on. Today all this is done with much fanfare and publicity. In the past the needy were served naturally, without making any fuss and is everyday routine. Before the mother closes her kitchen, suppose to go to the entry gate and ask loudly “is there any around who require supper?”.

Many slokas indicate the importance of the annadanam. It says annadhaanam is greater than donating many horses, elephants, gold ornaments, vessals, land, kanyadhanam etc.

gajathuragasahasram gokulam kotidhaanam
kanakarajitha paathram medhinee saagarantham
ubhayakula visudham kotikanyaapradhaanam
nahi nahi bahudhaanam annadhaanassamaanam

The importance of feeding a knowledgable person indicates the importance given to education - learning and teaching. Donation to one Brahmin is equal that to a crore sudras – feeding one crore Brahmins is equal to constructing a Vishnu temple – making a siva temple is equal to making a crore Vishnu temple – feeding a knowledgable person is equal to making one crore pradakshina siva temple.

sudrakoti sahasraanaam, ekam viprathu bhojayel
viprakoti sahasraanaam, ekam Vishnu prathishtitham
vishnu koti sahasraanaam ekaarudra prathishtitham
rudrakoti sahasraanaam ekojnaanihi bhojyathaam

This inner meaning can be read in many ways, in this context it says all Brahmins are supposed be knowledgable but not. The real knowledgable person if not Brahmin too is seen as higher. Thus the learing and teaching is the best service to the people and to god.

Feeding is a good philantharpoy activity. But educating is much higher. The food will get digested soon. The education will remain in the whole life.

अन्नदानं महादानं विद्यादानमतः परम् ।
अन्नेन क्षणिका तृप्तिः यावज्जीवञ्च विद्यया ॥

This probably was the source for the saying 'Give a man a fish, you feed him once. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life'.

 

With education we purify our intelligence, with meditation we purify our mind, with sloka or poetry we purify our speech, by exerting ourselves in the service of others one must purify the physic or body; that is why the DasaMahaVidya is prescribing Dasami / Navarathri (10 days / 9 nights). Out of this tenth Day (Dasami) is for Saraswati with Education and Learning, everyone in the home sit together to demonstrate their learning.

 

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