Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 20

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥

Transliteration

dātavyamiti yaddānaṃ dīyate.anupakāriṇe .
deśe kāle ca pātre ca taddānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ॥

Meaning

A gift given because it is right to give, to one from whom nothing is expected in return, at the proper place and time and to a worthy recipient, is held to be sattvic.

Word meanings

दातव्यम् – it ought to be given, it is a duty
इति – thus (with this attitude)
यत् – which
दानम् – gift
दीयते – is given
अनुपकारिणे – to one who will not return the favour
देशे – at the right place
काले – at the right time
च – and
पात्रे – to a worthy recipient
च – and
तत् – that
दानम् – gift
सात्त्विकम् – sattvic
स्मृतम् – is held to be

Anvaya (word order)

दातव्यम् इति (बुद्ध्या) यत् दानं देशे काले पात्रे च अनुपकारिणे दीयते, तत् दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ।

Explanation

After sacrifice and austerity, Krishna now describes the three kinds of charity. Giving is a fundamental value of Indian culture; from the Vedas to the present it has been considered an essential part of dharma. The Gita, however, shows that the value of a gift lies not in its size but in its spirit, discernment and manner. This verse gives five marks of sattvic giving.

The first and fundamental mark is datavyam iti, giving with the feeling 'it is my duty to give'. The sattvic giver does not see giving as a favour he confers but as his duty. In the view of the Upanishads and the Gita, all we have belongs to God and to society; returning a part of it is like repaying a debt. So the giver should feel gratitude, not pride.

The second is anupakarine: giving to one from whom no return is expected. Shankara clarifies that this means someone who has not done us a favour before and from whom we expect no benefit later. If we give only to those who can give back, it is not charity but investment.

The third, fourth and fifth are deshe kale cha patre cha: the right place, the right time and the right recipient. This is the aspect of discernment in giving. Desha might be a holy place, or wherever the gift is genuinely needed; kala might be a festival, a time of crisis, or the moment when the need is greatest; patra is a recipient worthy of the gift who will use it well, such as a scholar, a seeker, the helpless, the sick or the hungry.

The reason for such discernment is that a gift to the wrong person can promote wrong. Feeding the hungry is meritorious, but giving money to an addict may harm him further. In today's terms it means checking, before giving, that the gift is going into the right hands for the right purpose.

Sattvic giving thus beautifully balances the heart (a sense of duty), selflessness (no expectation of return) and intelligence (discernment of place, time and recipient). Such a gift benefits both giver and receiver.

Context

Verses 17 to 19 described the three kinds of austerity; here the three kinds of charity begin with the sattvic. The next two verses describe rajasic and tamasic charity.

Life lesson

Give not as a favour but as a duty and an expression of gratitude, to someone from whom you want nothing back. Before giving, also make sure the gift goes at the right time and place, into the right hands.

Key terms

Sattvic dana: A gift given as duty, without expecting return, at the proper place, time and to a worthy recipient
Datavyam: 'It ought to be given' — the attitude of duty
Anupakari: One from whom no return favour is expected
Desha, kala, patra: The right place, the right time and the worthy recipient