Shloka 6
Dadhīci’s Supreme Charity and the Opening of Indra’s War with Vṛtrāsura
नूनं स्वार्थपरो लोको न वेद परसङ्कटम् । यदि वेद न याचेत नेति नाह यदीश्वर: ॥ ६ ॥
nūnaṁ svārtha-paro loko na veda para-saṅkaṭam yadi veda na yāceta neti nāha yad īśvaraḥ
Gewiss: Wer nur an den eigenen Vorteil denkt, kennt die Not des anderen nicht und bittet daher. Wüsste der Bittende um die Schwierigkeit des Gebenden, er würde nicht bitten; und wüsste der Gebende um die Bedrängnis des Bittenden, er würde nicht „nein“ sagen.
This verse describes two people — one who gives charity and one who begs for it. A beggar should not ask charity from a person who is in difficulty. Similarly, one who is able to give charity should not deny a beggar. These are the moral instructions of the śāstra. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, san-nimitte varaṁ tyāgo vināśe niyate sati: everything within this material world will be destroyed, and therefore one should use everything for good purposes. If one is advanced in knowledge, he must always be prepared to sacrifice anything for a better cause. At the present moment the entire world is in a dangerous position under the spell of a godless civilization. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement needs many exalted, learned persons who will sacrifice their lives to revive God consciousness throughout the world. We therefore invite all men and women advanced in knowledge to join the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and sacrifice their lives for the great cause of reviving the God consciousness of human society.
FAQs
This verse teaches that while worldly people may refuse or ignore requests, the Supreme Lord does not say “No” to a sincere petitioner—highlighting His merciful responsiveness to heartfelt prayer.
He points out human self-centeredness: people often fail to notice others’ suffering, and even when they do, they hesitate to ask or assist due to fear of rejection—contrasting this with the Lord’s generosity.
Practice two things: become attentive to others’ difficulties instead of living only for self-interest, and cultivate steady prayerful dependence on God, trusting that sincere spiritual seeking is never rejected.