daridaripada

Daridaripada is a Sanskrit term that appears in some Hindu and Buddhist literary texts. The word is typically analyzed as a compound of dāridṛya, meaning poverty or destitution, and pada, meaning foot, place, path, or verse. Consequently, the literal sense is often taken as “the state or path of poverty,” with the precise meaning depending on the passage. In many usages it serves as a descriptive image of poverty or vulnerability and may function as an epithet, a nominalized phrase, or a symbolic reference to humility before the divine or to moral instruction regarding alleviating need.

In poetic and didactic contexts, daridaripada can be used to evoke compassion, to frame discussions of charity (dāna) and social ethics, or to illustrate how poverty shapes spiritual life. Because the term is not common in standard Sanskrit dictionaries, its occurrences tend to be regional or textual rather than widespread; when it does appear, it is usually within verses or prose that emphasize moral and devotional themes rather than technical philosophical argument.

Variants and related terms commonly linked to the concept include dāridṛya (poverty) and descriptions of the poor in devotional literature. The expression may also function as a metaphor for spiritual humility or the human condition in bhakti and Jain or Buddhist narratives, depending on the doctrinal and literary context.

See also: dāridṛya (poverty), dāna (charity), bhakti literature, Sanskrit poetry.

References to daridaripada are sparse in standard lexicographical works, so its interpretation is largely text-specific. For precise usage, consulting the source passages in which it occurs is recommended.