Shloka 24
Prayāga’s Supremacy Among Tīrthas: Faith, Yoga, Charity, and the Ethics of Attainment
परोक्षं हरते यस्तु पश्चाद्दानं प्रयच्छति । न ते गच्छंति वै स्वर्गं दातारो यत्र भोगिनः
parokṣaṃ harate yastu paścāddānaṃ prayacchati | na te gacchaṃti vai svargaṃ dātāro yatra bhoginaḥ
परोक्षं हरते यस्तु पश्चाद्दानं प्रयच्छति। न ते वै स्वर्गं गच्छन्ति, यत्र भोगिनो धर्मार्जितफलभाजः॥
Unspecified (narratorial/ethical instruction within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यस्तु = यः + तु; पश्चाद्दानम् = पश्चात् + दानम्; गच्छंति (IAST) = गच्छन्ति; दातारो = दातारः (visarga sandhi before yatra).
FAQs
No. It states that giving charity after secretly stealing does not qualify one for heaven; merit must be earned through righteous means, not by compensating for wrongdoing with later gifts.
The principle that ends do not justify means: wealth gained through adharma (stealing) cannot become spiritually purifying merely by donating it afterward.
Svarga is portrayed as the realm where beings enjoy the fruits of legitimate merit; actions rooted in theft undermine the karmic basis required to attain and enjoy such results.