Bhagavad Gita 17.21 meaningYou are what you trust
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“A gift given to get something back is not the best.”
What it means
“A gift given to get something back, or for a reward, or given reluctantly — that gift is restless.”
The original Sanskrit
यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुनः । दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥
yattu pratyupakārārthaṃ phalamuddiśya vā punaḥ dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṃ taddānaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam
Translations
Literal translation
But the gift which is given expecting reciprocation, or again, with a desire for its result, and which is given grudgingly,- that is considered to be born of rajas.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
और जो दान क्लेशपूर्वक तथा प्रत्युपकार के उद्देश्य से अथवा फल की कामना रखकर दिया जाता हैं, वह दान राजस माना गया ह ै।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 17.22“A gift given at the wrong time and place, to the wrong person, without respect or with contempt — that gift is dull.”