Shloka 18
स्वात्यामथ धन दत्त्वा यदिष्टतममात्मन: । प्राप्रोति लोकान् स शुभानिह चैव महद् यश:,स्वाती नक्षत्रमें अपनी अधिक-से-अधिक प्रिय वस्तुका दान करके मनुष्य शुभ लोकोंमें जाता है और इस जगतमें भी महान् यशका भागी होता है
Svātyām atha dhanaṃ dattvā yad iṣṭatamam ātmanaḥ | prāpnoti lokān sa śubhān iha caiva mahad yaśaḥ ||
Nārada said: On the day of the Svātī lunar mansion, if a person gives wealth in charity—especially what is dearest to oneself—one attains auspicious worlds hereafter and, even in this very life, becomes a recipient of great renown.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest form of charity is giving what one personally values most, and that such self-transcending generosity—especially when performed on an auspicious occasion like Svātī—brings both spiritual reward (auspicious realms) and ethical-social reward (great renown) in this life.
Nārada is instructing about dharma through the practice of dāna, specifying Svātī nakṣatra as an auspicious time and emphasizing the inner quality of the gift: not merely giving something surplus, but offering what is dearest to oneself, which is said to yield merit and fame.