Shloka 11
Bhūmi-dāna, Satya-dharma, and the Non-cancellation of Sin by Charity
स्वयमेव तु यो दत्त्वा स्वयमेव प्रबाधते / स पापी नरकं याति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्
svayameva tu yo dattvā svayameva prabādhate / sa pāpī narakaṃ yāti yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam
जो स्वयं अपने हाथ से दान देकर फिर स्वयं ही बाधा पहुँचाता या सताता है, वह पापी नरक को जाता है और प्रलय तक वहाँ रहता है।
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Retracting/obstructing one’s own gift or harassing the recipient is grave papa leading to naraka for an immense duration.
Vedantic Theme: Satya and ahiṃsā in action; hypocrisy (dambha) and cruelty bind the jīva strongly to saṃsāra and suffering.
Application: Give without later coercion, humiliation, or clawback; honor commitments; if unable, renegotiate respectfully rather than harass.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: otherworldly region
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: detailed naraka consequences for deceit, cruelty, and adharma; Garuda Purana dharma-nīti: condemnation of dāna-vighna (obstructing gifts) and harassment of dependents/recipients
FAQs
This verse stresses that dāna must be pure and non-coercive; giving and then troubling the recipient (or undermining the gift) turns the act into sin with severe afterlife consequences.
It states that harming or obstructing a gift after giving leads to naraka (hell), with punishment lasting extremely long—symbolically ‘until cosmic dissolution’—highlighting the gravity of hypocrisy in charity.
Give without strings attached: do not demand control, repayment, publicity, or humiliation of the recipient; once given, let the gift truly belong to the other.