Shloka 14
Gālava Completes the Horse-Gift: Garuḍa’s Counsel and Viśvāmitra’s Acceptance (गालव-विष्वामित्र-सम्बन्धः)
कामतो हि धनं राजा पारक््यं य: प्रयच्छति । न स धर्मेण धर्मात्मन् युज्यते यशसा न च,“धर्मात्मन! जो राजा पराये धनका अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार दान करता है, उसे धर्म और यशकी प्राप्ति नहीं होती है
kāmato hi dhanaṃ rājā pārakyaṃ yaḥ prayacchati | na sa dharmeṇa dharmātman yujyate yaśasā na ca ||
Nārada said: “O righteous-minded one, a king who, merely at his own pleasure, gives away wealth that belongs to others does not become aligned with dharma; nor does he gain true renown. Such ‘generosity’ is not virtue, for it is founded on injustice.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity becomes dharmic only when it is grounded in justice and rightful ownership. A ruler who donates what belongs to others—simply because he can—commits wrongdoing; such giving neither accords with dharma nor produces genuine, lasting fame.
Nārada is instructing a ‘dharmātman’ (a virtuous interlocutor) on standards of righteous rule. He critiques arbitrary royal ‘generosity’ that violates others’ property rights, emphasizing that a king’s actions must be lawful and ethical, not merely impressive or self-willed.