Shloka 7
Dāna-dharma: Threefold Classification, Right Recipients, Auspicious Timing, and Fruits of Gifts
अपत्यविजयैश्वर्यस्वर्गार्थं यत्प्रदीयते / दानं तत्काम्यमाख्यातमृषिभिर्धर्माचिन्तकैः
apatyavijayaiśvaryasvargārthaṃ yatpradīyate / dānaṃ tatkāmyamākhyātamṛṣibhirdharmācintakaiḥ
సంతానం, విజయం, ఐశ్వర్యం లేదా స్వర్గప్రాప్తి కోసం ఇచ్చే దానాన్ని ధర్మచింతక ఋషులు ‘కామ్య’ దానమని ప్రకటించారు.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Kāmya-dāna: charity performed with specific desires (progeny, victory, wealth, heaven) is acknowledged as a distinct category in dharma reasoning.
Vedantic Theme: Desire-bound karma yields finite results; recognition of motive is a step toward transcending it (moving from kāmya to niṣkāma).
Application: Audit motives behind giving; if giving is goal-driven, be honest and keep it dharmic—then gradually cultivate less attachment to outcomes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.51.5-1.51.8: motive-based taxonomy of dana culminating in ‘vimala’ dana
FAQs
This verse classifies charity done for specific rewards—children, victory, wealth, or heaven—as kāmya dāna, helping a practitioner understand the intention behind giving and the kind of fruit it is meant to yield.
By identifying gifts aimed at svarga and worldly gains as desire-based, it implies that such actions bind one to result-oriented karma, shaping post-death outcomes like heavenly enjoyment and continued return through rebirth rather than liberation.
Give with clarity of intention: if you seek a specific outcome, recognize it as kāmya; if you seek inner purification, reduce bargaining motives and cultivate selfless giving aligned with dharma.