Bhagavad Gita 17.20 meaningYou are what you trust
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“The best gift is given freely, to someone who can’t pay you back.”
What it means
“A gift given simply because it is right to give, to someone who can't repay it, at the right time and place, to the right person — that gift is clear.”
The original Sanskrit
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे । देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
dātavyamiti yaddānaṃ dīyate.anupakāriṇe deśe kāle ca pātre ca taddānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam
Translations
Literal translation
That gift is referred to as born of sattva which gift is given with the idea that it ought to be given, to one who will not serve in return, and at the (proper) place, (proper) time and to a (proper) person.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
"दान देना ही कर्तव्य है" - इस भाव से जो दान योग्य देश, काल को देखकर ऐसे (योग्य) पात्र (व्यक्ति) को दिया जाता है, जिससे प्रत्युपकार की अपेक्षा नहीं होती है, वह दान सात्त्विक माना गया है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 17.21“A gift given to get something back, or for a reward, or given reluctantly — that gift is restless.”