Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 47
अध्याय ३८० — गीतासारः
The Essence of the Gītā
देशादौ चैव दातव्यमुपकाराय राजसं आदेशादाववज्ञातं तामसं दानमीरितं
deśādau caiva dātavyamupakārāya rājasaṃ ādeśādāvavajñātaṃ tāmasaṃ dānamīritaṃ
દેશ-કાલ વગેરેનો વિચાર કરીને પ્રતિઉપકાર અથવા લાભની આશાથી આપેલું દાન રાજસ કહેવાય; અને શાસ્ત્રીય આદેશોની અવગણના કરીને તિરસ્કારપૂર્વક આપેલું દાન તામસ કહેવાયું છે।
Lord Agni (narrating the dharma-teaching in Agni Purana)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Guidelines for ethical giving: avoid transactional gifts and contemptuous, rule-violating donations; align dāna with proper time/place/recipient and respectful intent.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Rājasa and Tāmasa Dāna: Motive and Manner","lookup_keywords":["rajasa dana","tamasa dana","desa kala patra","avagnata dana","upakara"],"quick_summary":"Gifts given for advantage, considering place etc. as leverage, are rājasa; gifts given against injunctions or with contempt are tāmasa—both fall short of pure charity."}
Concept: Dāna is judged by motive (return-seeking) and adherence to vidhi with respect; contempt corrupts merit.
Application: Give without bargaining for influence; follow basic propriety (time/place/recipient), and offer with honor (satkāra) rather than disdain.
Khanda Section: Dāna-dharma (Charity ethics and classification of gifts)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two contrasting donation scenes: rājasa—donor giving while negotiating advantage, pointing to a ledger or receiving praise; tāmasa—donor tossing a gift with disdain or at improper place/time; moral contrast emphasized.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split scene: left rājasa donor with attendants and calculating expression, right tāmasa donor in harsh posture showing contempt; strong outlines, symbolic color contrast (warm vs. dark).","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-worked central frame with two vignettes: rājasa gift with garlands and public acclaim; tāmasa gift depicted with recipient turned away, donor’s disdainful gesture; ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style didactic illustration, clean composition with labels for rājasa/tāmasa, fine brushwork showing facial expressions of pride vs. contempt, subdued palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly patronage scene with subtle satire: donor seeking favor from officials (rājasa) and a separate scene of rude almsgiving at an inauspicious spot (tāmasa), detailed textiles and architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देशादौ → देश-आदौ. चैव → च + एव. दातव्यमुपकाराय → दातव्यम् + उपकाराय. आदेशादाववज्ञातं → आदेश-आदौ + अवज्ञातम्. दानमीरितं → दानम् + ईरितम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Dāna-dharma sections on deśa-kāla-pātra and satkāra; Agni Purana: Rajadharma on social duties and patronage
FAQs
It teaches the dharma-technical classification of charity: giving for a hoped-for advantage is rājasa, while giving that ignores injunctions and is done with contempt is tāmasa.
By systematizing ethical categories of conduct (here, dāna) using the guṇa-framework, it functions like a practical manual of social-religious law alongside the Purana’s many other disciplines.
It warns that intention and propriety shape karmic fruit: self-interested giving yields limited, passion-bound merit (rājasa), while contemptuous, rule-violating giving diminishes merit and tends toward harmful outcomes (tāmasa).