Bhagavad Gita 17.20 Meaning: Datavyamiti yaddanam

Bhagavad Gita 17.20

दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥

Datavyamiti yaddanam diyatenupakarineDeshe kale cha patre cha taddanam sattvikam smritam

dātavyamiti yaddānaṃ dīyate’nupakāriṇe |deśe kāle ca pātre ca taddānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation A gift is sāttvika, Krishna says, when it is given because giving is right ('it ought to be given'), to one who does nothing in return, at a fit place and time, and to a worthy person (pātra). Shankara gives examples: a place such as Kurukshetra, a time such as Saṅkrānti, and a person learned in the six aṅgas, the sciences of the Veda.

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि वह दान सात्त्विक है जो “देना ही चाहिए” इस भाव से, बदले में कुछ न करने वाले को, उचित स्थान और समय पर, और योग्य व्यक्ति (पात्र) को दिया जाता है। शंकराचार्य उदाहरण देते हैं: कुरुक्षेत्र जैसा स्थान, संक्रांति जैसा समय, और छह वेदांगों को जानने वाला व्यक्ति।

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Word by word

दातव्यम् dātavyam · it ought to be given (gerundive (to be done) (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: dātavya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 474, col. 1 “to be given”
इति iti · thus (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. iti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 1 “in this manner, thus”
यत् yat · which (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
दानम् dānam · gift (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: 1. dāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 474, col. 1 “the act of giving”
दीयते dīyate · is given (present passive, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. dā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 473, col. 3 “to give, bestow, grant”
अनुपकारिणे anupakāriṇe · to one who does nothing in return (adjective (masculine), dative singular) Dictionary: an-upakārin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 34, col. 2 “not assisting, disobliging, ungrateful, not making a return for benefits received”
देशे deśe · at a fit place (noun (masculine), locative singular) Dictionary: deśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 496, col. 2 “point, region, spot, place”
काले kāle · at a fit time (noun (masculine), locative singular) Dictionary: 2. kāla, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 278, col. 1 “a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time (in general)”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
पात्रे pātre · to a worthy person (noun (neuter), locative singular) Dictionary: pātra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 613, col. 1 “any one worthy of or fit for”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
तत् tat · that (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
दानम् dānam · gift (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: 1. dāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 474, col. 1 “the act of giving”
सात्त्विकम् sāttvikam · sāttvika (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: sāttvika, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1200, col. 1 “relating to or endowed with the quality Sattva (i.e. 'purity' or 'goodness')”
स्मृतम् smṛtam · is held to be (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: smṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1272, col. 2 “declared as, passing for (nom., loc., or dat.)”

Bhagavad Gita 17.20: meaning and translation

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