Shloka 16
Karma-vipāka: Truth, Yama’s Judgment, and the Marks of Sin in Rebirth
पात्रे विद्याप्रदाता यो बलीवर्दो भवेत्तसः / अन्नं पर्युषितं विप्रे प्रददत्कुक्करो भवेत्
pātre vidyāpradātā yo balīvardo bhavettasaḥ / annaṃ paryuṣitaṃ vipre pradadatkukkaro bhavet
One who bestows vidyā (sacred learning) upon a worthy recipient is reborn as a strong bull. But one who gives stale, kept-over food to a brāhmaṇa is reborn as a dog.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Dana must be appropriate to recipient and substance: teaching to the worthy elevates; disrespectful offering (stale food to a brāhmaṇa) degrades.
Vedantic Theme: Right action (dharma) purifies and supports sattva; wrong offering strengthens tamas and binds through karma.
Application: Support education/knowledge transmission to deserving students; offer fresh, respectful hospitality; align giving with dignity and purity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.46 (merit/demerit through dana and bhojana)
FAQs
This verse links the merit of a gift directly to the worthiness of the recipient and the purity of the offering: giving learning to a proper recipient yields high merit, while improper giving (like stale food) yields demerit and low rebirth.
It teaches that specific actions create specific karmic outcomes expressed as rebirth into particular forms—here, noble giving (vidyā-dāna) leads to a strong animal birth (bull), while disrespectful charity (stale food to a brāhmaṇa) leads to a degraded birth (dog).
Offer charity respectfully: support education and share knowledge with sincere, deserving learners, and ensure any food donation is fresh, clean, and given with honor—especially to those regarded as teachers or religious specialists.