Shloka 25

Nīti for Calamity, Wealth, Friendship, Charity, and Restraint of Kāma

Devanagari script

शिक्षयन्ति च याचन्ते देहीति कृपणा जनाः / अवस्थेयमदानस्य मा भूदेवं भवानपि

Transliteration

śikṣayanti ca yācante dehīti kṛpaṇā janāḥ / avastheyamadānasya mā bhūdevaṃ bhavānapi

Translation

คนตระหนี่ทั้งดุด่าและขอร้องว่า “จงให้เถิด” นี่คือจุดจบอันน่าเวทนาของผู้ไม่ให้ทาน; ขอท่านอย่าได้เป็นเช่นนั้น

Word by Word

• शिक्षयन्ति: they instruct/teach
• शिक्षयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शिक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• याचन्ते: they beg
• याचन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• देहि: give!
• देहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• कृपणाः: miserly, wretched
• कृपणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (जनाः इति)

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अवस्थेयम्: a condition/state (to be reached)
• अवस्थेयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवस्था + इय (प्रातिपदिक); अवस्थेय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक (state/condition)

• अदानस्य: of non-giving
• अदानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक (prohibitive particle)

• भूत्: let it be / become
• भूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; 'मा' सह—निषेधार्थे (prohibitive)

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग (honorific pronoun)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थक (also/even)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The miser’s end is humiliation: one who would not give becomes one who must beg; dāna preserves honor and right order.

Vedantic Theme: Ethical purification (citta-śuddhi) through generosity; greed as a veil over discernment.

Application: Give proactively before need forces you into dependence; respond to worthy requests with compassion and discernment.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: didactic encounter/scene of the afflicted begging

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: kṛpaṇa-lakṣaṇa and adāna-doṣa sections near 1.109

FAQs

What is the importance of dāna (charity) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse warns that refusing to give leads to a degraded, pitiable condition; therefore dāna is upheld as a core dharmic practice that shapes one’s karmic outcome.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana’s framework?

By emphasizing the karmic consequence of adāna (non-giving), it implies that one’s post-death experience is influenced by ethical conduct—generosity supporting auspicious outcomes, miserliness leading to distress.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate regular giving—food, money, service, or support—so one does not fall into the habit of grasping and later suffering humiliation or dependence.