Bg. 17.22

BG 17.22

Devanagari

अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते । असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ २२ ॥

Verse text

adeśa-kāle yad dānam apātrebhyaś ca dīyate asat-kṛtam avajṣātaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam

Synonyms

adeśa at an unpurified place ; kāle and unpurified time ; yat that which ; dānam charity ; apātrebhyaḥ to unworthy persons ; ca also ; dīyate is given ; asat-kṛtam without respect ; avajṣātam without proper attention ; tat that ; tāmasam in the mode of darkness ; udāhṛtam is said to be.

Translation

And charity performed at an impure place, at an improper time, to unworthy persons, or without proper attention and respect is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

22. Charity given with disregard and as a result, with discourtesy, to an undeserving person at the wrong place and time, is said to be tamasic charity.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

22. Charity given with disregard of etiquette and with discourtesy, to an undeserving person at the wrong place and time, is said to be tamasic charity.

Purport

Contributions for indulgence in intoxication and gambling are not encouraged here. That sort of contribution is in the mode of ignorance. Such charity is not beneficial; rather, sinful persons are encouraged. Similarly, if a person gives charity to a suitable person but without respect and without attention, that sort of charity is also said to be in the mode of darkness.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The result of disregard (avajṣatam) is offence (asat-kṛtam).

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Charity given at an unclean place (adeśa), at an inauspicious time (akāle), to undeserving people, such as actors, and, even if time and place are proper, given with lack of proper respect (asat kṛtam) to the recipient (such as not washing the feet), and with disregard (avajṣātam), in the form of using low forms of address in speaking to the person, is charity in the mode of ignorance.