Dāna-Dharma on Veṅkaṭācala
Dāna means sacred giving, and dāna-dharma is the duty and right way of giving. Veṅkaṭācala, also called Veṅkaṭādri, is the holy hill where Bhagavān Veṅkaṭeśvara lives. Two chapters of the Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmya, a section of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa that praises this hill, teach the rules and practice of dāna as it applies to Veṅkaṭādri.
Chapter 22 explains who is a proper receiver of dāna and śrāddha (offerings for the ancestors) and who is not, and names a person who must not be invited to śrāddha. Chapter 40, taught by Vyāsa to Añjanā at the Ākāśagaṅgā tīrtha (sacred bathing place), lists all the gifts that should be made at Veṅkaṭādri and their great fruits.
Chapter 22: The Worthy and the Unworthy Receiver
Chapter 22 comes after the story of how Puṇyaśīla was cured of his donkey’s face at Ākāśagaṅgā. It uses this story to open a wider teaching on dāna-dharma. The main principle is this: the merit of any gift depends wholly on the quality of the person who receives it. Giving to a supātra (a worthy receiver) brings the full fruit described. Giving to a kupātra (an unworthy receiver) may bring no merit at all, or may even bring harm.
Who is unworthy for śrāddha: Sūta explains that the husband of a nirputrā-strī (a woman who has no sons) is called a “gardabha-mukha” (donkey-faced one) and must not be invited to śrāddha. If a brāhmaṇa of this kind is fed at a śrāddha, the pitṛs (ancestors) of that household do not receive its fruit. The text is clear: if such a husband eats at a śrāddha, the śrāddha is made void. This rule shows that the purity and completeness of the receiver’s own family situation matters.
The wider principle is that a gift to the worthy grows without limit, while a gift to the unworthy is lost or turned upside down. A devotee should therefore judge the receiver carefully before giving any gift, especially at holy tīrthas, where the power of a gift is already multiplied.
Chapter 40: Vyāsa’s Teaching to Añjanā
In the fortieth chapter, Vāyu has just granted Añjanā the boon that Hanumān will be born to her at Ākāśagaṅgā. Then Vyāsa, at Brahmā’s request, speaks to Añjanā directly and describes the gifts proper to Veṅkaṭādri and their fruits. This is the fullest teaching on how to give in the whole Māhātmya.
The Two Chief Gifts
Anna-dāna (giving food) and vastra-dāna (giving cloth) are declared the greatest of all gifts that can be made on Veṅkaṭādri. All other gifts, however worthy, rank below these two.
Śrāddha for the Ancestors at Veṅkaṭādri
Performing śrāddha for the ancestors on Veṅkaṭādri is called viśesha (especially meritorious), bringing more than śrāddha at other tīrthas.
Particular Gifts and Their Fruits
| Gift | Receiver | Fruit |
|---|---|---|
| Gold given for Vishṇu’s pleasure | Any worthy person | Reaches all the higher lokas (worlds) |
| Śālagrāma-śilā (a sacred stone form of Vishṇu) | Any worthy person | Removes aṅga-bhaṅga (bodily defects); leads to knowledge of the self |
| Go-dāna (giving a cow) | An indriya-nigrahī gṛhastha (a householder who controls his senses) | Lives in Vaikuṇṭha for as many years as there are hairs on the cow’s body |
| Bhū-dāna (giving land) | A brāhmaṇa with a family | Merit beyond words |
| Kanyā-dāna (giving a daughter in marriage) | A brāhmaṇa who studies the Vedas | The giver and all his pitṛs reach Vaikuṇṭha in joy |
| Jala-dāna (cool water in summer; a shaded water pavilion) | All travellers | Even Ādiśesha cannot fully describe the merit |
| Tila-dāna (giving sesame) | A brāhmaṇa with a family | All pāpa (wrongdoing) is destroyed; reaches Vaikuṇṭha |
| Dhānya-dāna (giving grain) | Worthy brāhmaṇas | Called the best gift by those who know the Vedas; reborn as sons of Brahmā |
| Gandha, pushpa, chatra, cāmara, tāmbūla, karpūra (fragrance, flowers, umbrella, fly-whisk, betel, camphor) | Brāhmaṇas | Long enjoyment on earth, then svarga for thousands of divine years, then rebirth as an emperor, then as a brāhmaṇa learned in the Vedas, and then moksha (liberation) by Vishṇu’s grace |
Why Veṅkaṭādri Is a Special Place for Giving
Both chapters point to a principle that runs through the whole Māhātmya: a gift made at Veṅkaṭādri brings many times more than the same gift made anywhere else. The hill’s own power, as the home of Bhagavān Veṅkaṭeśvara, magnifies every act of generosity done there. Chapter 40 states: “The merit of giving at the Gaṅgā and other tīrthas for twelve years equals the merit of one single gift here.” This applies especially to the day when Mesha saṃkrānti (the sun’s entry into Aries) falls together with Caitra paurṇamī (the full moon of the month of Caitra), the auspicious meeting of times at Ākāśagaṅgā.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmya, Chapters 22 and 40