Shloka 30
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
तद् धनुस् तानि शस्त्राणि स रथस् ते च वाजिनः सर्वम् एकपदे नष्टं दानम् अश्रोत्रिये यथा
tad dhanus tāni śastrāṇi sa rathas te ca vājinaḥ sarvam ekapade naṣṭaṃ dānam aśrotriye yathā
Busur itu, senjata-senjata itu, kereta itu, dan kuda-kuda itu—semuanya lenyap dalam sekelip mata; demikianlah sedekah yang diberikan kepada orang yang tidak layak akan ilmu suci, segera menjadi rosak.
Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse teaches that charity bears lasting merit when offered to a worthy, disciplined recipient (a śrotriya); otherwise the spiritual fruit of the gift is considered lost immediately.
By a vivid comparison: as weapons and chariotry can be lost in an instant, so too the merit of dāna collapses at once when given to an aśrotriya—someone lacking the requisite sacred grounding and conduct.
Though Vishnu is not named here, the teaching aligns with Vaishnava dharma: actions like dāna must follow right order (dharma) to support devotion and cosmic harmony upheld by the Supreme, Vishnu.