Bhagavad Gita 17.20
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे।देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम्।।
dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe deśhe kāle cha pātre cha tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛitam
Word-by-Word
| Sanskrit | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dātavyam | dātavyam | worthy of charity |
| iti | iti | thus |
| yat | yat | which |
| dānam | dānam | charity |
| dīyate | dīyate | is given |
| anupakāriṇe | anupakāriṇe | to one who cannot give in return |
| deśhe | deśhe | in the proper place |
| kāle | kāle | at the proper time |
| cha | cha | and |
| pātre | pātre | to a worthy person |
| cha | cha | and |
| tat | tat | that |
| dānam | dānam | charity |
| sāttvikam | sāttvikam | in the mode of goodness |
| smṛitam | smṛitam | is stated to be |
That gift which is given to one who does nothing in return, knowing it to be a duty to give in a suitable place and time to a worthy person, is held to be Sattvic.
"दान देना ही कर्तव्य है" - इस भाव से जो दान योग्य देश, काल को देखकर ऐसे (योग्य) पात्र (व्यक्ति) को दिया जाता है, जिससे प्रत्युपकार की अपेक्षा नहीं होती है, वह दान सात्त्विक माना गया है।।