Mahabharata 3.201.9 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 9
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
परिचारकेषु यद् दत्तं वृथा दानानि षोडश । पिता आदि गुरुजन
paricārakeṣu yad dattaṃ vṛthā dānāni ṣoḍaśa | tamovṛtas tu yo dadyād bhayāt krodhāt tathaiva ca ||
Mārkaṇḍeya dit : «Les dons faits à certains récipiendaires indignes deviennent vains ; ces “dons sans fruit” sont dits au nombre de seize. Et celui qui, voilé par le tamas, donne par peur ou par colère, éprouve la conséquence de ces dons de manière douloureuse dans une naissance future (dès le sein maternel). À l’inverse, celui qui donne à des brāhmaṇas véritablement dignes jouit du fruit de ce don en juste mesure, selon l’ampleur du mérite.»
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity is ethically evaluated not only by the act of giving but also by the recipient’s worthiness and the donor’s inner motive. Gifts made under tamas—especially from fear or anger—lead to painful karmic results, whereas gifts to worthy brāhmaṇas yield proportionate beneficial results.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s discourse, he classifies certain donations as ‘vṛthā’ (fruitless), traditionally counted as sixteen types, and then contrasts tamasic giving (fear/anger-driven) with meritorious giving to worthy recipients, explaining their differing karmic outcomes.
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