Shloka 21

आचार्य-धर्मलक्षण-श्रद्धाभक्तिप्राधान्यं तथा लिङ्गे ध्यान-पूजाविधानसंकेतः

Adhyaya 10

Devanagari script

तत्तद्गुणवते देयं दातुस्तद्दानलक्षणम् दानं त्रिविधमित्येतत् कनिष्ठज्येष्ठमध्यमम्

Transliteration

tattadguṇavate deyaṃ dātustaddānalakṣaṇam dānaṃ trividhamityetat kaniṣṭhajyeṣṭhamadhyamam

Translation

ينبغي أن تُقدَّم العطية لمن اتصف بالفضائل اللائقة؛ فمثل هذا العطاء يصير السِّمة الحقة للمعطي. والصدقة تُذكر على ثلاثة أنحاء—دنيا ووسطى وعليا—بحسب جودتها ونيّتها.

Word by Word

• tat-tat: of that appropriate kind

• guṇavate: to a virtuous/qualified person

• deyam: should be given

• dātuḥ: of the giver

• tat: that

• dāna-lakṣaṇam: defining characteristic/mark of charity (and of the donor)

• dānam: charitable giving

• tri-vidham: threefold

• iti: thus

• etat: this

• kaniṣṭha: inferior/lowest

• jyeṣṭha: श्रेष्ठ/highest

• madhyamam: middling/medium

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames dana as a supporting discipline to Shiva-puja: offering rightly (to a worthy recipient, with proper intent) refines the devotee’s bhava and makes worship spiritually effective.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Implicitly, Shiva-tattva is the purifier and liberator (Pati): as the pashu practices dharma like qualified giving, pasha weakens and the soul becomes fit for Shiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dana as a dharmic upacara allied to Shaiva sadhana—graded by quality (inferior/medium/supreme) and determined by the recipient’s guṇa and the donor’s intention.