Chapter 38 claims that charity is the primary virtue for the Kali age. How does the text compare this to other ages and other forms of giving?

In Chapter 38, the author establishes the preeminence of charity in the current era by contrasting it with the primary duties of past ages. The scriptures, as cited in the chapter, indicate that penance was key in the Krita age, knowledge in the Treta age, and sacrifice in the Dvapara age, whereas charity is the highest virtue for the Kali age. The chapter further refines this by elevating food donation above all other forms of giving. It argues that donations of money or other items are incomplete without the donation of food, using the analogies that a cluster of stars is nothing without the moon and a necklace is not beautiful without its pendant. This emphasizes the fundamental and superior merit of Annadan as taught in Chapter 38.