Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अभिगम्य च तत्‌ तुष्ट्या दत्तमाहुरभिष्ठतम्‌ । याचितेन तु यद्‌ दत्तं तदाहुर्मध्यमं बुधा:

Transliteration

abhigamya ca tat tuṣṭyā dattam āhur abhiṣṭatam | yācitena tu yad dattaṃ tad āhur madhyamaṃ budhāḥ ||

Translation

पराशर म्हणाले—स्वतः जाऊन प्रसन्न मनाने जे दान दिले जाते, ते सर्वश्रेष्ठ मानले जाते; पण मागितल्यावर जे दिले जाते, ते ज्ञानीजन मध्यम दान म्हणतात.

Word by Word

• अभिगम्य: having approached
• अभिगम्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-गम्
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थे), कर्तरि, पूर्वकाल (absolutive)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तत्: that (gift/thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तुष्ट्या: with satisfaction / willingly
• तुष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दत्त
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आहुः: they say / have said
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• अभिष्टतम्: most desirable / best
• अभिष्टतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिष्टतम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular, Superlative (तमप्)

• याचितेन: by one who has asked / upon being requested
• याचितेन: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: याचित
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दत्त
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आहुः: they say
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मध्यमम्: middling / moderate
• मध्यमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बुधाः: the wise (people)
• बुधाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The moral value of charity depends greatly on intention and initiative: giving proactively and joyfully is praised as the highest, while giving only after solicitation is considered merely average.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, the sage Parāśara instructs on standards of dāna (gift-giving), ranking gifts by the giver’s attitude and whether the giver takes initiative or waits to be asked.