Shloka 30

कालनियमः शोकशमनं च

Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief

Devanagari script

अनर्हते यद्‌ ददाति न ददाति यदर्हते । अहनिहपिरिज्ञानाद दानधर्मोडपि दुष्कर:,“लोग अधिकारीको धन नहीं देते और अनधिकारीको दे डालते हैं, योग्य-अयोग्य पात्रका ज्ञान न होनेसे दानधर्मका सम्पादन भी बहुत कठिन है

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: anarhate yad dadāti na dadāti yad arhate | ahaniha parijñānād dāna-dharmo 'pi duṣkaraḥ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。人は、受けるに値せぬ者に与え、受けるに値する者に与えない。この世では日々、ふさわしき器とふさわしからぬ器を見分ける明確な知が乏しいゆえ、施しのダルマを実践することすら困難となる。

Word by Word

अनर्हतेto an unworthy (person)

यत्that which

ददातिgives

नnot

ददातिgives

यत्that which

अर्हतेto a worthy (person)

अहनिby day / in the day

अपिeven/also

अज्ञानात्from ignorance / due to ignorance

दानधर्मःthe duty/virtue of giving (charity)

अपिalso/even

दुष्करःdifficult

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Charity is not merely the act of giving; it requires discernment of the recipient’s worthiness. Without knowing who truly deserves support, giving can become ethically confused—misdirected generosity and neglected deservingness both undermine dāna as dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana reports a moral observation about human conduct: people often reverse proper standards—giving where it should not be given and withholding where it should—showing why practicing righteous charity is challenging in ordinary life.