Shloka 10
Sāma (Sāntva) and Dāna: The Brāhmaṇa’s Conciliatory Release from a Rākṣasa
यथा हि सुकृते क्षेत्र फलं विन्दति मानव: । एवं दत्त्वा श्रुववति फलं दाता समश्ञुते
yathā hi sukṛte kṣetre phalaṁ vindati mānavaḥ | evaṁ dattvā śrutavati phalaṁ dātā samaśnute ||
De même qu’un homme obtient la moisson en semant dans un champ bien préparé, de même, en offrant un don à un brāhmane savant, le donateur prend assurément part au mérite qui en résulte. L’enseignement souligne que la valeur de la charité ne tient pas seulement à l’acte de donner, mais aussi à l’aptitude et au savoir du récipiendaire, qui rendent le don fécond sur le plan spirituel.
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity yields its full spiritual ‘fruit’ when offered to a worthy, learned recipient—just as seed yields a harvest when sown in a well-prepared field. The donor then surely shares in the merit produced by that gift.
Maitreya is instructing about the principles of dāna (giving). He uses an agricultural analogy—prepared field and seed—to explain how giving to a śrutavat (learned) Brahmin becomes a reliable cause of beneficial results for the giver.