Shloka 29
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
अनरहें ब्राह्मणे दत्तमज्ञानात् तन्न दूषकम् | सत्काराणां तथा तीर्थ नित्यं वाप्रतिपादनम्
anarhe brāhmaṇe dattam ajñānāt tan na dūṣakam | satkārāṇāṁ tathā tīrthaṁ nityaṁ vāpratipādanam ||
यदि अज्ञानवश किसी अयोग्य ब्राह्मण को दान दे दिया जाए, तो वह दोषकारक नहीं होता। और यदि परिस्थिति के कारण योग्य जनों को सत्कारपूर्वक दान देना, अथवा तीर्थ-कार्य में नित्य प्रतिपादन करना संभव न हो, तो वह भी (जब जान-बूझकर न हो) दोष नहीं माना जाता।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Accidental misdirection of charity due to ignorance is not treated as a moral दोष (fault). Dharma evaluates the giver’s knowledge and intention; blame attaches primarily to deliberate neglect or knowingly improper giving.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa states a rule about gifts and honoring the worthy: if one unknowingly gives to an unworthy brāhmaṇa, or cannot maintain continual respectful offerings connected with worthy recipients or sacred contexts, it is not counted as a दोष.