📿 Shloka Collection

Datavyam Iti Yad Danam

Gita 17.20 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17 — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
Datavyam iti yad danam deeyate anupakarine,
Deshe kale cha patre cha tad danam sattvikam smritam.
दातव्यम्
it is a duty to give
इति
with this thought
दानम्
charity
दीयते
is given
अनुपकारिणे
to one who cannot repay
देशे
at the right place
काले
at the right time
पात्रे
to a worthy recipient
सात्त्विकम्
sattvic

Sattvic charity has three hallmarks. It is given with the thought: "giving is my duty." It goes to someone who cannot repay the favor. And it is given at the right place, at the right time, to the right person.

Notice the selflessness built into every condition. The giver does not act out of pity or superiority — but out of a quiet sense of dharma. The recipient cannot return the favor — which means there is no hidden transaction. And the giver exercises discernment: the place, the timing, and the person must all be appropriate.

An elder who quietly funds a child's education, expecting nothing in return, simply because they believe it is the right thing to do — that is sattvic dana in action.

This shloka opens the charity section. The next two shlokas (17.21 and 17.22) describe rajasic and tamasic charity. The principle of "desha-kala-patra" (right place, right time, right recipient) is a foundational concept in Indian tradition for all acts of giving.

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