दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
dātavyam iti yad dānaṃ dīyate 'nupakāriṇe |deśe kāle ca pātre ca tad dānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ||
- दातव्यम् · dātavyam
- to be given, a duty
- इति · iti
- thus
- दानम् · dānam
- gift, charity
- दीयते · dīyate
- is given
- अनुपकारिणे · anupakāriṇe
- to one who cannot repay
- देशे · deśe
- in the right place
- काले · kāle
- at the right time
- पात्रे · pātre
- to a worthy receiver
- सात्त्विकम् · sāttvikam
- lucid, of sattva
- स्मृतम् · smṛtam
- declared, remembered
“A gift given simply because it should be given — to one who cannot repay, in the right place, at the right time, to a worthy receiver — is remembered as lucid.”
— Original plain-language translation
Sattvic giving is quiet duty done wisely: no return expected, fit occasion, fit recipient. Datavyam — 'it is to be given' — matches the sacrifice formula of 17.11. Generosity becomes yoga when calculation leaves it.
— Reader's notes (original)