Shloka 8
ब्रह्मबन्धुषु यद् दत्तं यद् दत्तं वृषलीपतौ । स्त्रीजनेषु च यद् दत्तं व्यालग्राहे तथैव च
brahmabandhuṣu yad dattaṃ yad dattaṃ vṛṣalīpatau | strījaneṣu ca yad dattaṃ vyālagrāhe tathaiva ca
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Sedekah yang diberikan kepada ‘brahmana hanya dalam nama’ (tanpa laku brahmanis sejati), yang diberikan kepada suami perempuan dari golongan rendah, yang diberikan kepada kaum perempuan sebagai kelompok tanpa pertimbangan, dan pula yang diberikan ketika seseorang sedang dicekam pemangsa—pemberian demikian dinilai cacat secara dharma, sebab dilakukan tanpa menimbang kelayakan, tujuan, dan keadaan yang tepat.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity (dāna) must be guided by discernment: the recipient’s worthiness and the context of giving matter. Gifts made to improper recipients or under coercive, fear-driven circumstances are portrayed as ethically flawed and spiritually unfruitful.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing his listeners on standards of dharma, specifically evaluating types of giving. He lists examples of donations considered misdirected—given to unworthy persons or in compromised situations—within a broader didactic passage on righteous conduct.