Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Jīva–Ātman Inquiry; Kṣetrajña Doctrine; Karma-based Varṇa; Four Āśramas and Sannyāsa Discipline
गौश्चप्रतिग्रहीता च दाता चैव समं यदा । इहैव विलयं यांति कुतस्तेषां समागमः ॥ १२ ॥
gauścapratigrahītā ca dātā caiva samaṃ yadā | ihaiva vilayaṃ yāṃti kutasteṣāṃ samāgamaḥ || 12 ||
Lorsque la vache, le receveur du don et le donateur se trouvent réunis au même moment, ils périssent ici même ; comment pourrait-il alors y avoir pour eux une « rencontre de bon augure » ou un fruit благоприятный ?
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It warns that charity (especially go-dāna) must follow dharma: if the act is done improperly—through an unfit giver, an unfit recipient, or an inauspicious/incorrect transaction—it becomes spiritually ruinous rather than meritorious.
Bhakti is not mere sentiment; it expresses itself as dharmic conduct. The verse implies that offerings connected to sacred duty should be made with purity, right intention, and proper procedure—qualities that support devotion to Bhagavan through righteous living.
It points to Dharma-śāstra style procedural discipline—knowing proper eligibility, timing, and rules for dāna/pratigraha (often informed by ritual injunctions and customary observances rather than astrology or grammar in this specific verse).