SB 8.20.10

SB 8.20.10

Devanagari

मनस्विन: कारुणिकस्य शोभनं यदर्थिकामोपनयेन दुर्गति: । कुत: पुनर्ब्रह्मविदां भवाद‍ृशां ततो वटोरस्य ददामि वाञ्छितम् ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

manasvinaḥ kāruṇikasya śobhanaṁ yad arthi-kāmopanayena durgatiḥ kutaḥ punar brahma-vidāṁ bhavādṛśāṁ tato vaṭor asya dadāmi vāṣchitam

Synonyms

manasvinaḥ of persons who are greatly munificent ; kāruṇikasya of persons celebrated as very merciful ; śobhanam very auspicious ; yat that ; arthi of persons in need of money ; kāma upanayena — by satisfying ; durgatiḥ becoming poverty-stricken ; kutaḥ what ; punaḥ again (is to be said) ; brahma vidām — of persons well versed in transcendental science ( brahma-vidyā ) ; bhavādṛśām like your good self ; tataḥ therefore ; vaṭoḥ of the brahmacārī ; asya of this Vāmanadeva ; dadāmi I shall give ; vāṣchitam whatever He wants .

Translation

By giving charity, a benevolent and merciful person undoubtedly becomes even more auspicious, especially when he gives charity to a person like your good self. Under the circumstances, I must give this little brahmacārī whatever charity He wants from me.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The glory of the generous, merciful giver is to become poor by fulfilling the desire of a requestor, what to speak of fulfilling the desires of a person like you possessing spiritual knowledge. Therefore I will give whatever the brahmacārī desires. “Then you will become poor.” The glory for the person generous in giving (manisvinaḥ) is becoming poor by satisfying a person who makes a request. Durgati means poor. Becoming poor by fulfilling the desire of a person like you is even more glorious.

Purport

If one accepts a poverty-stricken position because of losing money in business, gambling, prostitution or intoxication, no one will praise him, but if one becomes poverty-stricken by giving all of his possessions in charity, he becomes adored all over the world. Aside from this, if a benevolent and merciful person exhibits his pride in becoming poverty-stricken by giving his possessions in charity for good causes, his poverty is a welcome and auspicious sign of a great personality. Bali Mahārāja decided that even though he would become poverty-stricken by giving everything to Vāmanadeva, this is what he would prefer.