Shloka 8
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
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 said: “Whatever gift is given to a mere ‘Brahmin by name’ (one who lacks true Brahminical conduct), whatever is given to the husband of a low-born woman, whatever is given to womenfolk (as a class, without discernment), and likewise whatever is given when one is seized by a predator—such giving is treated as ethically defective, for it is made without proper consideration of worthiness, purpose, and right circumstance.”
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.