Sthālī Dāna
Sthālī Dāna · sthālī dāna, “the gift of a cooking vessel”
Sthālī Dāna is the gift of a sthālī, a cooking vessel of copper or clay, filled with food and given to a brāhmaṇa. The Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapter 170, gives it in the glory of anna-dāna, the gift of food. Here Mahārāja Yudhishṭhira tells Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa something he saw with his own eyes.
When the Pāṇḍavas set out for the forest, the brāhmaṇas and citizens walked with them out of love, and Yudhishṭhira grieved that he had no means to feed them. Maitreya Muni told him of a poor brāhmaṇī of old. Vasishṭha taught her this dāna, she gave such vessels daily, and by that puṇya she was born again as Draupadī, whose hand is never empty in giving. One who gives the sthālī on a parva day never lacks food in his house, though friends, kin, servants and atithis (guests) eat there daily.
Yudhishṭhira in the forest
Having heard from Śrī Kṛshṇa the māhātmya (glory) of Anna-dāna, Yudhishṭhira said: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa, one thing comes to my mind, which I saw with my own eyes. I will tell it to you.”
Duryodhana, Karṇa, Śakuni and others had taken the kingdom by deceit in the dyūta (the game of dice). The Pāṇḍavas set out for the forest with Draupadī, wearing valkala and deerskin. The people of the city and brāhmaṇas of good conduct walked with them out of affection.
Seeing them, Yudhishṭhira was greatly distressed. He thought: only the life of one who nourishes brāhmaṇas, friends, servants and the like has borne fruit. Everyone fills his own belly: humans, creatures, beasts and birds. One who leaves aside abhyāgatas (visitors), his own people and his family, and fills only his own belly, is as one dead though living.
He said to those brāhmaṇas: “You know the three times and are masters of jñāna and vijñāna, and you have come only through bonds of affection for me. Be gracious and tell me some means by which food and the like may be arranged for brothers, kin, friends and servants, and for yourselves also, for we must spend twelve years in this empty forest.”
Hearing this, Maitreya Muni said: “Kaunteya, I have seen by divya dṛshṭi (divine sight) an ancient event, which I shall tell. Listen with attention.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
The brāhmaṇī of the tapovana
Maitreya Muni told Yudhishṭhira: at one time a certain brāhmaṇī lived in a tapovana (forest of tapas). She was unfortunate and poor, and a brahmacāriṇī. Even so, she honoured brāhmaṇas daily.
Seeing her śraddhā, full of śama and dama (calm and restraint), the brāhmaṇas were pleased one day and said: “Suvrate, we are very pleased with you. Ask a vara.”
The brāhmaṇī said: “Mahārāja, be gracious and tell me the vidhi of some vrata or dāna by doing which I may become dear to my husband, with sons, saubhāgyavatī, wealthy and worthy of praise in the world.”
Hearing this, Vasishṭha said: “Brāhmaṇī, I shall tell you the vidhi of Sthālī Dāna, which fulfils all wishes.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
The vidhi
Vasishṭha taught her:
- Make a vessel of copper of 500 palas, 250 palas or 125 palas. Without the means, make a fine earthen pot.
- It should be deep and strong.
- Fill it with a preparation of mung and rice, smear it with candana, and set it in the middle of a maṇḍala.
- Beside it set every kind of śāka (greens), a water vessel and a ghee vessel.
- Do pūjā of it with flowers, dhūpa, dīpa, naivedya, cloth and the like.
- Pray to the vessel with the three verses below.
- Reciting them, give the vessel to an excellent dvija.
When. The gift is made on a Sunday, at Saṃkrānti, or on a caturdaśī, ashṭamī, ekādaśī or tṛtīyā.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
The prayer to the sthālī
ज्वलज्वलनपार्श्वस्थैस्तण्डुलैः सजलैरपि ।
न भवेद्भोज्यसंसिद्धिर्भूतानां पिठरी विना ॥
त्वं सिद्धिः सिद्धिकामानां त्वं पुष्टिः पुष्टिमिच्छताम् ।
अतस्त्वां प्रणमाम्याशु सत्यं कुरु वचो मम ॥
ज्ञातिबन्धुसुहृद्वर्गे विप्रे प्रेष्यजने तथा ।
अभुक्तवति नाश्नीयात् तथा भव वरप्रदा ॥
jvalajvalanapārśvasthaistaṇḍulaiḥ sajalairapi
na bhavedbhojyasaṃsiddhirbhūtānāṃ piṭharī vinā
tvaṃ siddhiḥ siddhikāmānāṃ tvaṃ pushṭiḥ pushṭimicchatām
atastvāṃ praṇamāmyāśu satyaṃ kuru vaco mama
jñātibandhusuhṛdvarge vipre preshyajane tathā
abhuktavati nāśnīyāt tathā bhava varapradā
With blazing fire close by, with rice and with water, still food cannot be cooked without the sthālī. Sthālī, you are siddhi to those who wish siddhi and pushṭi (nourishment) to those who wish pushṭi. I bow to you. Make my word true. Until my kin, my friends, my relations, the brāhmaṇa and my servants have eaten, may the food in you not grow less. Grant such a vara.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
From brāhmaṇī to Draupadī
Following Vasishṭha‘s teaching, the brāhmaṇī began daily to give sthālī vessels with dakshiṇā to brāhmaṇas.
Maitreya Muni said to Yudhishṭhira: “Pārtha, by the force of that puṇya, in another birth that same brāhmaṇī has become your wife in the form of Draupadī. Draupadī’s hand will never be empty in giving. For this Draupadī dwells in the form of Satī, Śacī, Svāhā, Sāvitrī, Bhū, Arundhatī and Lakshmī; where she is, what thing can be hard to find?”
And he said: “Mahārāja Yudhishṭhira, if this Draupadī gives food from her sthālī she can satisfy the whole world. Why then are you anxious about feeding these few brāhmaṇas?”
Yudhishṭhira said to Śrī Kṛshṇa: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa, hearing Maitreya’s words we did so, and with all our people began to feed brāhmaṇas daily. Śrī Kṛshṇa, I have told this vidhi of Sthālī Dāna in the course of Anna-dāna, so forgive my boldness.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
The phala
One who makes a fine copper sthālī, fills it with rice, and gives it to a brāhmaṇa in this way on a parva day, in his house food never runs short, though friends, kin, relations, companions, servants and atithis eat there daily.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 170