मुक्ता-उत्पत्ति-भेदाः, मूल्य-मान-निर्णयः, शोधन-परीक्षा-लक्षणानि
Pearl Sources, Valuation, Refinement, and Identification
हिंसन्ति यस्याहिशिरः समुत्थं मुक्ताफलं तिष्ठति कोशमध्ये / नाभ्येति मेघप्रभवं धरित्रीं विप्रद्गतं तद्विबुधा हरन्ति
hiṃsanti yasyāhiśiraḥ samutthaṃ muktāphalaṃ tiṣṭhati kośamadhye / nābhyeti meghaprabhavaṃ dharitrīṃ vipradgataṃ tadvibudhā haranti
யாருக்காகப் பாம்பின் படமெழுந்து கடிக்கிறதோ, சிப்பிக்குள் முத்து மறைந்திருப்பதுபோல்; அதுபோல மேகத்தில் பிறந்த மழை பூமியை அடையாது—அவ்வாறே பிராமணனுக்குக் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட செல்வமோ புண்ணியமோ ஞானிகள் (விபுதர்கள்) எடுத்துக்கொள்வர்।
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa, Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Dāna once given—especially to a brāhmaṇa—should not be reclaimed; wrongful appropriation rebounds as harm and loss of merit.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-niyati (moral causality) governing sukṛta and its depletion; dharma as an impersonal order (ṛta/dharma) that protects rightful giving.
Application: Do not retract gifts, wages, or promised support; treat charitable/religious donations as irrevocable; maintain integrity in patronage and alms.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: dāna-mahātmyas and brāhmaṇa-apacāra warnings (general thematic parallels); Garuda Purana: karma-phala discussions where merit is ‘lost’ by adharma (general)
This verse warns that merit does not ‘reach’ the giver when a donation is retracted; instead, the benefit is removed—implying a loss of puṇya and a dharmic fault.
Through the rain-and-earth metaphor, it suggests puṇya must ‘arrive’ through proper completion of dāna; if the gift is seized back (especially from a brāhmaṇa), the intended spiritual result fails.
Give thoughtfully and only what you can sustain; once given in good faith, do not reclaim it—protecting integrity, trust, and the dharmic value of charity.