Nnadaanam

[Mohan Chettoor]

Gaja turaga Sahasram | Gokulam koti danam | Kanaka Rajatha patram | Methini sagarantham | Upaya kula vishuttam | Koti kanya pradanam | Nahi nahi bahu danam| Annadanam samanam ||

Can anyone please provide the source of this sloka? Also please explain the third part of this sloka-"Upaya kula vishuttam" there seems to be some erratic words in this. Everybody is simply copy-pasting this without bothering about its authenticity.

Mohan Chettoor

[HONGANOUR KRISHNA]

Mohan Chettoor Garu,

You’re right to question the authenticity of this verse.

The line “Upaya kula vishuttam” is not attested in any classical Sanskrit source, and the entire verse does not appear in any Vedic, Puranic, or Itihāsa text according to available searches. It circulates widely on the internet and in Annadāna–related pamphlets, but no authoritative textual source is cited anywhere.

This is a modern, popular, inspirational verse, not a śāstric quotation.

Because several words are non-standard, grammatically odd, or semantically unclear.

The most problematic is the line you pointed out:

“Upaya kula vishuttam”

This phrase is not valid Sanskrit in any recognizable form.

Problems:

• Upāya = method, means — but used without case ending.

• Kula = family, lineage — again without case ending.

• Viśuttam / Viśuddham?

• Viśuddham (विशुद्धम्) would mean “purified”, but the spelling “vishuttam” is incorrect.

• Even if corrected, the phrase still makes no grammatical sense.

Likely explanation:

This line is probably a corrupted transmission of something that originally meant:

• “upakāra-kula-viśuddham” (purifying the lineage of benefactors?)

• or “upakṛta-kula-viśuddham”

• or “upāya-kula-viśuddham”

But none of these appear in any known text, and the current form is clearly garbled.

Thank you,

HONGANOUR S KRISHNA

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[R. N. iyengar]

It is  likely  ubhaya kula viśuddham  ... referring to the two families: bride& bridegroom.

 pa and bha confusion indicates Tamilnadu origin. 

[NathRao]

I suspect that this comes from a source in Tamil script that has been typed using ASCII characters. So voice+aspiration info is lost at the first step, length of vowels is lost in the second step.  For example, "Methini sagarantham" might be मेदिनी सागरान्तम्, though I am not sure what that would mean.

[Lakshmanan Krishnamurti]

Yes. Looks like this passage was  transliterated to Roman from Tamil vaTTezuttu without using the rules of the international alphabet for Sanskritic transliteration (IAST). With the decline of the grantham script and ignorance of IAST and Devanagari Tamil speakers are  at great disadvantage. This is very problematic.

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[Mohan Chettoor]

Based on the inputs received from the scholars as above, I have modified the sloka follows;                                                                                गजतुर(रं?)गसहस्रं गोकुलं कोटि दानम्
कनकरचितपात्रं मेदिनी सागरान्तम्।
उभयकुलविशुद्धं कोटिकन्याप्रदानम्
नहि नहि बहुदानं अन्नदानसमानम्॥  When I checked this sloka in the sanskrit metre checking app., it suggested nearest to Malini. 

Mālinī is a sama-vṛtta. It contains 4 pādas, each of which has the pattern LLLLLLGG—GLGGLGG.

The input verse imperfectly matches Mālinī (मालिनी) (note deviations in red):

gajaturagasahasraṃ gokulaṃ koṭi dānam
kanakaracitapātraṃ medinī sāgarāntam
ubhayakulaviśuddhaṃ koṭikanyāpradānam
nahi nahi bahudānaṃ annadānasamānam.

It was strange that none of the websites in the Googlesearch showed this sloka in Devanagari. I tried AI as well. All of them INCLUDING https://mahaperiyava.org/annadhanam/ simply copy-pasted the erroneous and corrupt english transliterated version without bothering to verify its authenticity. Regarding the source of this sloka, we are still in the dark.

Mohan Chettoor

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/samskrita/CAPYmdmMfFiWBwEDd7yg5Ci1VQwQ-Sr1jzHVb5%2BLqcdtZiLN-Fw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mohan Chettoor]

Based on the inputs received from the scholars as above, I have modified the sloka follows;                                                                                

गजतुर(रं?)गसहस्रं गोकुलं कोटि दानम्

कनकरजतपात्रं मेदिनी सागरान्तम्।

उभयकुलविशुद्धं कोटिकन्याप्रदानम्
नहि नहि बहुदानं अन्नदानसमानम्॥   

When I checked this sloka in the sanskrit metre checking app., it suggested nearest to Malini. 

Mālinī is a sama-vṛtta. It contains 4 pādas, each of which has the pattern LLLLLLGG—GLGGLGG.

The input verse imperfectly matches Mālinī (मालिनी) (note deviations in red):

gajaturagasahasraṃ gokulaṃ koṭi dānam

kanakarajatapātraṃ medinī sāgarāntam

ubhayakulaviśuddhaṃ koṭikanyāpradānam
nahi nahi bahudānaṃ annadānasamānam

It was strange that none of the websites in the Google search showed this sloka in Devanagari. I tried AI as well. All of them INCLUDING https://mahaperiyava.org/annadhanam/ simply copy-pasted the erroneous and corrupt English transliterated version without bothering to verify its authenticity. Regarding the source of this sloka, we are still in the dark.

Mohan Chettoor

On Thu, Jan 15, 2026 at 11:13 PM Lakshmanan Krishnamurti <lkrish...@gmail.com> wrote:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/samskrita/CAPYmdmMfFiWBwEDd7yg5Ci1VQwQ-Sr1jzHVb5%2BLqcdtZiLN-Fw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Lakshmanan Krishnamurti]

गज elephant

तुरग horse

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[kenp]

AS per AI review.............. 

Upaya kula vishuttam (उपाय कुल विशुद्धम्): Offering the services of one's entire clan/family (or purifying one's lineage).

Scriptures such as the Puranas, Upanishads, and the Mahabharata feature various Sanskrit verses that emphasize the supremacy of food charity (Annadanam).

1. Supreme Comparison (Puranas & Subhashitas)
The most frequently cited verse compares food donation to other massive acts of charity, such as donating gold or livestock. This is often found in the Padma Purana and later wisdom literature.
गजतुरगसहस्रं गोकुलं कोटिदानं
कनकरजतपात्रं मेदिनी सागरान्तम्।
उभयकुलविशुद्धं कोटिकन्याप्रदानं
नहि नहि बहुदानं अन्नदानं समानम्॥
Gaja-turaga-sahasraṃ gokulaṃ koṭidānaṃ
Kanaka-rajata-pātraṃ medinī sāgarāntam
Ubhaya-kula-viśuddhaṃ koṭikanyāpradānaṃ
Nahi nahi bahudānaṃ annadānaṃ samānam
Translation: Donating a thousand elephants and horses, ten million cows, vessels of silver and gold, the entire land reaching the sea, or helping in the marriage of ten million pure-lineage women—none of these many charities is equal to Annadanam.

2. Knowledge vs. Food (Shiva Purana)
A popular variation found in the Shiva Purana compares the temporary satisfaction of food to the permanent liberation of knowledge (Vidya).
अन्नदानं महादानं विद्यादानं महत्तरम्।
अन्नेन क्षणिका तृप्तिः यावज्जीवं च विद्यया॥
Annadānaṃ mahādānaṃ vidyādānaṃ mahattaram
Annena kṣaṇikā tṛptiḥ yāvajjīvaṃ ca vidyayā
Translation: Giving food is a great charity, but giving knowledge is even greater. Food provides momentary satisfaction, while knowledge sustains a person for a lifetime.

3. Food as Brahman (Upanishads)
In the Taittiriya Upanishad, food is not just a physical substance but is identified with the Divine itself.
अन्नं ब्रह्म (Annam Brahma): "Food is God/Brahman".
अन्नं वै प्राणः (Annam vai prāṇaḥ): "Food is truly life force".
अन्नं बहु कुर्वीत (Annaṃ bahu kurvīta): "Let there be an abundance of food" (This is an injunction to produce and share food generously).

4. Creation from Food (Bhagavad Gita)
Lord Krishna explains the biological and spiritual cycle of life originating from food in Chapter 3, Verse 14.
अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसंभवः।
यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः॥
Annādbhavanti bhūtāni parjanyādannasambhavaḥ
Yajñādbhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karmasamudbhavaḥ
Translation: All living beings are born from food; food is produced by rain; rain comes from sacrifice (Yagna), and sacrifice is born of prescribed duties.

5. The Sin of Eating Alone (Rig Veda)
The Rig Veda (Mandala 10, Sukta 117) contains a stern warning against those who do not share food.
मोघमन्नं विन्दते अप्रचेताः सत्यं ब्रवीमि वध इत्स तस्य।
नार्यमणं पुष्यति नो सखायं केवलाघो भवति केवलादी॥
Moghamannaṃ vindate apracetāḥ satyaṃ bravīmi vadha itsa tasya
Nāryamaṇaṃ puṣyati no sakhāyaṃ kevalāgho bhavati kevalādī
Translation: The foolish man who does not share wins food in vain; I speak the truth, it shall be his ruin. He who eats alone, partakes only of sin.

अन्नदानं परं दानं त्रैलोक्ये न च विद्यते।
तस्मादन्नं प्रयच्छन्ति देवाः ऋषिगणास्तथा॥
Transliteration (IAST)
Annadānaṃ paraṃ dānaṃ trailokye na ca vidyate |
Tasmādannaṃ prayacchanti devāḥ ṛṣigaṇāstathā ||

Translation
"The donation of food is the supreme charity; its equal does not exist in the three worlds.

[kenp]

As per AI review ........

Here is the verse corrected for Sanskrit grammar (sandhi and vibhakti), presented in Devanagari script followed by English transliteration. This verse emphasizes that feeding the hungry (Annadanam) is superior to all other forms of material donation. 

Corrected Sanskrit Verse

गजतुरंगसहस्रं गोकुलं कोटिदानम्।
कनकरजतपात्रं मेदिनी सागरान्तम्॥
उपयकुलविशुद्धं कोटिकन्याप्रदानम्।
न हि न हि बहुदानं अन्नदानं समानम्॥

Transliteration

Gaja-turaga-sahasraṃ, gokulaṃ koṭi-dānam |
Kanaka-rajata-pātraṃ, medinī sāgarāntam ||
Upaya-kula-viśuddhaṃ, koṭi-kanyā-pradānam |
Na hi na hi bahu-dānaṃ, annadānaṃ samānam || 

Breakdown of Corrections

• Gaja turaga Sahasram: Written as a compound (Gaja-turaga-sahasraṃ) meaning "1000 elephants and horses".
• Gokulam koti danam: Corrected to Gokulaṃ koṭi-dānam (donating 10 million cows).
• Kanaka Rajatha patram: Corrected to Kanaka-rajata-pātraṃ (silver and gold vessels).
• Methini sagarantham: Corrected to Medinī sāgarāntam (earth until the sea/entire land).
• Upaya kula vishuttam: Corrected to Upaya-kula-viśuddhaṃ (offering entire services of the clan).
• Koti kanya pradanam: Koṭi-kanyā-pradānam (donating 10 million girls in marriage).
• Nahi nahi bahu danam: Na hi na hi bahu-dānaṃ (Not, no, not [amounting to] this high charity).
• Annadanam samanam: Annadānaṃ samānam (Is equal to Annadanam - implies it is not equal to Annadanam). 

Translation

Donating thousands of elephants and horses, ten million cows, countless silver and gold vessels, or the entire land up to the sea; offering the services of the whole clan, or giving away ten million girls in marriage—none of these (high) donations are equal to Annadānam (the gift of food). 

[G S S Murthy]

'upaya' could be 'ubhaya'

Regards

GSS Murthy

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[P S Ramachandran]

Mohanji

I agree to your lament. 

Of course, Mohanji, every sanskrit sloka might not have a particular source attributed from the puranas, vedas, upanisaads, or even subhaasithas, etc.  Even a tukada-sanskrit student can compose a few sanskrit slokas. I hope we agree on that. 

I had clarified to you and others also - some years back - in a fb post of Practical Hinduism as my comment when somebody asked for the source, - that it is just a subhāṣita.  That sloka quoted there has undoubtedly some errors - 

The sloka quoted above, is an arthavaada statement or sloka, comparing the great annadana, while  putting down (seemingly) the other 5 or 6 dānās, namely (1) Gajaḥ (2) Turagaḥ  (3) Gokulam, (4) Kanaka-rajitha-pātram - it can be both kanaka pātra and also rajatha-pathra - (depending on the samāsa  (5) Methini (means Bhūbhi) (6)  Kanya of pure-birth or superior birth -

So it is a comparison of 7 vś 1 (annadanam). Do you agree.  

In our childhood, we used to chant this sloka, during the big annadāanas happening after a big event, function, etc. - while the pāyasam is being served.  Of course, not only this sloka is chanted, many carnatic ālapanas are sung, or some viruthams are sung, on a particular deity associated with a festival, or even just any beautiful viruthams, in sanskrit and tamil is sung.  You know the sampradāya -  it is a way of increasing the rasa-ānanada but adding another ānanda - śravaṇa-ānanda.   

This is from the vyavahāric-ānanda -  jñānēndriya -  angle ~ the  first one - śabda - śravaṇa-ānanda  to all the other ānandas also -

the touch of the food gives ānanda, the sight of the food gives ānanda, the rūpa of the food gives ānanda, the gandha (the smell) of the food gives ānanda - the rasa (the taste) of the food consumed gives ānanda - and to that list - when you add saṅgeetham at the time of the enjoying of the other 4 jñānēndriyas,  it is the completion of the jñānendriya series.   Agreed?

Of course in the above copied sloka, you asked for the explanation of the third-pāda, Upaya kula vishuttam | Koti kanya pradanam.    

Of course, you know that it is ubhaya kula viśuddham उभय-कुल विशुद्धम् or there can be another pāṭa-bhēda, which is उभय-कुल विशिष्ठम् Ubhaya-kula-viśiṣtam - which means - when you read the full 6 words of the third pāda - it means - one crore kanyās from superior birth or jātis.  

It sometimes becomes ubhalya-kula-pavitram also - instead of visuddham - 

There are different pāṭa-bhēdās - You can frame it any way -

And as regards the 4th pāda - I used to chant it little differently, (as I had heard and byhearted) - it is nahi nahi (sadṛśam) - instead of bahu-dānam - and then the ending words are annadāna samānam. 

गज तुरग सहस्रम्, गो-कुलं कोटि दानाम्,

 कनक रजत पात्रं, मेधिनी सागारान्तम् |

उभय कुल-विषुद्धम् (विशिष्टम् - पवित्रं), कोठि कन्या प्रधानाम् |

नहि नहि सदृशम् (बहु दानाम्), अन्न दान समानाम् ||

gaja turaga sahasram, gō-kulaṁ kōṭi dānām,
 kanaka rajata pātraṁ, mēdhinī sāgārāntam |
ubhaya kula-viṣuddham (viśiṣṭam - pavitraṁ), kōṭhi kanyā pradhānām |
nahi nahi sadr̥śam (bahu dānām), anna dāna samānām || 

So Mohanji, are you satisfied. Of course, I can explain only in the way I know. 🙏

Whether it fits perfectly in the anuṣtup meter or not, is a different thing, and it is for the sanskrit pandits to dispute or agree.

Based on this obtained meaning, sanskrit students can make the anvaya - from the sāmānya artha derived  ~ to the anvaya.  not the other way - from the anvaya to the artha or the sāmānya artha.

The whole meaning of the slōka is -

Greatness of offering food is explained, as greater than

(1) donating thousands of horses;

(2) donating thousands of elephants,

(3) donating one crores of herds of cows (go-kulam) - it is not donating Gokulam or Vrindāvan ,

(4) donating land till the end of the sāgarāntam (mēthini sāgārantham) ,

(5 and 6) donating gold and silver vessels or

(7) donating or doing kanyadaan i.e., of one crore girls in marriage which is cherished by both clans etc.

Dhanyavādaḥ Mahōdaya, for helping me think, rather than parroting. 

Prompted by your question, I am now posting the above whole email as a fb post in my fb page - 🙏

Now coming to another angle, from the parāmārthika-dṛṣṭi, the Vēdanatic-dṛṣṭi, why even Annadāna is not great ~ because even through annadāna - one can the receiver of the annam as dānam - say enough (alam) temporararily only, and not pārāmārthically.  

and if you ask, what can satisfy one person, unconditionally and permanently, it is Vidya - and that too not apara-vidya, but it is only para-vidya - that can do that, that can give you a permanent-freedom called mōkṣa or śānti.  Therefore, there is a sanskrit phrase in the Upaniṣads - I do not remember exactly where - that statement comes - that is सा वोद्या, या विमोचयेद् - means that is Knowledge, which releases. 

So the summing up is - as regards the eariier slōka of donating the 7 items, which is temporary, learning that knowledge about Brahman, (sā vidya) means that knowledge which realases, is the greatest. That Atulya-knowledge - 

Punar milāmaḥ, mahōdaya, punar ēkam carcē. (in another discussion)

ऐकमत्य सूक्तम्   Rg. Veda. Book 10 - 191 (1-4).

संस॒मिद्यु॑वसे वृष॒न्नग्ने॒ विश्वा॑न्य॒र्य आ । इ॒ळस्प॒दे समि॑ध्यसे॒ स नो॒ वसू॒न्या भ॑र ॥

सं ग॑च्छध्वं॒ सं व॑दध्वं॒ सं वो॒ मनां॑सि जानताम् । दे॒वा भा॒गं यथा॒ पूर्वे॑ संजाना॒ना उ॒पास॑ते ॥

स॒मा॒नो मन्त्र॒: समि॑तिः समा॒नी स॑मा॒नं मन॑: स॒ह चि॒त्तमे॑षाम् । स॒मा॒नं मन्त्र॑म॒भि म॑न्त्रये वः समा॒नेन॑ वो ह॒विषा॑ जुहोमि ॥
स॒मा॒नी व॒ आकू॑तिः समा॒ना हृद॑यानि वः । स॒मा॒नम॑स्तु वो॒ मनो॒ यथा॑ व॒: सुस॒हास॑ति ॥

saṁsa̲midyu̍vasē vr̥ṣa̲nnagnē̲ viśvā̍nya̲rya ā | i̲ḷaspa̲dē sami̍dhyasē̲ sa nō̲ vasū̲nyā bha̍ra ||

saṁ ga̍cchadhvaṁ̲ saṁ va̍dadhvaṁ̲ saṁ vō̲ manāṁ̍si jānatām | dē̲vā bhā̲gaṁ yathā̲ pūrvē̍ saṁjānā̲nā u̲pāsa̍tē ||

sa̲mā̲nō mantra̲: sami̍tiḥ samā̲nī sa̍mā̲naṁ mana̍: sa̲ha ci̲ttamē̍ṣām | sa̲mā̲naṁ mantra̍ma̲bhi ma̍ntrayē vaḥ samā̲nēna̍ vō ha̲viṣā̍ juhōmi ||

sa̲mā̲nī va̲ ākū̍tiḥ samā̲nā hr̥da̍yāni vaḥ | sa̲mā̲nama̍stu vō̲ manō̲ yathā̍ va̲: susa̲hāsa̍ti ||

 

“Agni, showerer (of benefits), you who are the Lord, you alone among the gods pervade all living beings; and you give the sacrificer all the objects (phalāni) for which he prays

 “Meet together, talk together, let your minds apprehend alike; in like manner as the ancient gods concurring accepted their portion of the sacrifice.”

“Common be the prayer of these (assembled worshippers), common be the acquisition, common the purpose, associated be the desire. I repeat for you a common prayer, I offer for you with a common oblation.”

“Common, (worshippers), be your intention; common be (the wishes of) your hearts; common be your thoughts, so that there may be thorough union among you.”      

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