Shloka 3
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
यो ददाति विशिष्टेभ्यः श्रद्धया परया युतः । तद्वै दत्तमहं मन्ये शेषं कस्यापि रक्षति
yo dadāti viśiṣṭebhyaḥ śraddhayā parayā yutaḥ | tadvai dattamahaṃ manye śeṣaṃ kasyāpi rakṣati
من يُعطي للأهلين لذلك، مقرونًا بإيمانٍ أسمى—فذلك وحده، في ظنّي، هو العطاء الحقّ؛ وأما الباقي فليس إلا ادخارًا لغيره.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa 57; likely a senior narrator instructing on dāna)
Concept: Only what is given with supreme faith to the worthy is truly ‘one’s’; hoarded wealth inevitably passes to others.
Application: Budget generosity first (before consumption), give to vetted recipients, and treat surplus as meant for service—otherwise it will leave through loss, heirs, or circumstance.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A wealthy merchant stands before two paths: one leads to a radiant altar where he offers gifts to a learned recipient; the other leads to a shadowed storehouse where coins spill through cracks into unseen hands. In the sky, a subtle karmic wheel motif turns, implying that ungiven wealth is ‘guarded for another.’","primary_figures":["merchant/householder","learned brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava ascetic","allegorical figures of Time (Kāla) or Fate (Daiva) as faint silhouettes"],"setting":"city edge with a temple gateway on one side and a granary/storehouse on the other","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["antique gold","smoky indigo","ivory white","emerald green","rust red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-scene composition—left: donor offering at a temple threshold to a brāhmaṇa; right: ornate treasury with coins slipping away; gold leaf highlights on coins, halos, and temple arch, rich jewel tones and embossed borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: moral allegory with two pathways, delicate architecture, soft gradients; expressive yet restrained faces, cool blues for the hoarding side and warm saffron for the giving side, fine floral detailing on garments.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: symbolic narrative panel—donor centered, temple on one side, storehouse on the other; bold outlines, stylized coin motifs, dramatic contrast of warm/cool pigments, large eyes conveying resolve.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional moral tableau with ornate borders; lotus and peacock motifs around the ‘giving’ side, darker floral patterns around the ‘keeping’ side; subtle śaṅkha-cakra emblems above to indicate divine witnessing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft mridangam pulse","conch shell","distant marketplace hush","brief silence after the moral punchline"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तद्वै = तत् + वै; दत्तमहं = दत्तम् + अहम्; कस्यापि = कस्य + अपि
FAQs
It teaches that charity becomes spiritually meaningful only when given with supreme faith and to worthy recipients; what is not given in that spirit is effectively just saved up and will end up benefiting someone else.
The term generally points to qualified recipients—those of good conduct and spiritual merit (often including virtuous persons and learned Brahmins in Purāṇic dāna contexts)—rather than indiscriminate giving without discernment.
It urges timely generosity: instead of hoarding, one should intentionally share resources with faith and discernment, because unused surplus is unstable and may pass to others anyway.