Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 17 | Verse 22

Chapter 17, Verse 22

The Divisions of Faith

And charity performed at an improper place and time and given to unworthy persons without respect and with contempt is charity in the mode of ignorance.

Verse

अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते।असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्।।17.22।।

adeśha-kāle yad dānam apātrebhyaśh cha dīyate
asat-kṛitam avajñātaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛitam

Meaning of each word

adeśha — at the wrong place;
kāle — at the wrong time;
yat — which;
dānam — charity;
apātrebhyaḥ — to unworthy persons;
cha — and;
dīyate — is given;
asat-kṛitam — without respect;
avajñātam — with contempt;
tat — that;
tāmasam — of the nature of nescience;
udāhṛitam — is held to be

Interpretation

This verse talks about the kind of charity that is not good or beneficial. It explains that if you give something to someone at the wrong time or in the wrong place, it doesn’t really count as a good act. For example, if you donate food at a time when it can't be used, or in a place where it's not needed, it doesn't help anyone.

Moreover, if you give to people who do not deserve it—like those who waste or misuse what they get—this type of giving is also considered wrong. Imagine giving money to someone to buy cigarettes or alcohol; this kind of act will not lead to positive outcomes. Instead, it encourages bad habits or behavior, and that's what this verse warns against.

Additionally, if you do give to someone deserving but do it without respect, or if you look down upon the person you are giving to, that’s still not a good act. For instance, if you donate to a needy person but do so while making them feel lesser or humiliated, that act turns bad. This is why the verse mentions that such acts fall under the 'mode of ignorance'—meaning they are foolish and do not contribute positively to anyone's life.

So, the key message here is that charity should be done thoughtfully—at the right time and place, given to those who really need it, and with respect. If you act in any other way, you're not really helping, and your actions may even cause harm instead.

Other Verses of Chapter 17

Verse 1
Arjuna said, O Krsna, what is the situation of one who does not follow the principles of scripture but worships according to his own imagination? Is he in goodness, in passion or in ignorance?

Verse 2
The Supreme Lord said, according to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one's faith can be of three kinds-goodness, passion or ignorance. Now hear about these.

Verse 3
According to one's existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.

Verse 4
Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits.

Verse 5
Those men who practice terrific austerities not prescribed by the scriptures, given to hypocrisy and egoism, driven by the force of lust and attachment.

Verse 6
Know thou these to be of demonical resolves, senselessly torturing all the elements in the body and Me who dwell in the body.

Verse 7
Even food of which all partake is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Listen, and I shall tell you of the distinctions of these.

Verse 8
The foods that increase life, purity, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness (good appetite), which are savory, oily, substantial, and agreeable, are dear to the Sattvic (pure) people.

Verse 9
The foods that are bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, and burning are liked by the Rajasic and are productive of pain, grief, and disease.

Verse 10
That which is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten, rejected, and impure is the food liked by the Tamasic.

Verse 11
Of sacrifices, that sacrifice performed according to duty and to scriptural rules, and with no expectation of reward, is of the nature of goodness.

Verse 12
But that sacrifice performed for some material end or benefit or performed ostentatiously, out of pride, is of the nature of passion, O chief of the Bharatas.

Verse 13
And that sacrifice performed in defiance of scriptural injunctions, in which no spiritual food is distributed, no hymns are chanted and no remunerations are made to the priests, and which is faithless—that sacrifice is of the nature of ignorance.

Verse 14
The austerity of the body consists in this: worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother. Cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence are also austerities of the body.

Verse 15
Austerity of speech consists in speaking truthfully and beneficially and in avoiding speech that offends. One should also recite the Vedas regularly.

Verse 16
And serenity, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purity of thought are the austerities of the mind.

Verse 17
This threefold austerity, practiced by men whose aim is not to benefit themselves materially but to please the Supreme, is of the nature of goodness.

Verse 18
Those ostentatious penances and austerities which are performed in order to gain respect, honor and reverence are said to be in the mode of passion. They are neither stable nor permanent.

Verse 19
And those penances and austerities which are performed foolishly by means of obstinate self-torture, or to destroy or injure others, are said to be in the mode of ignorance.

Verse 20
That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness.

Verse 21
But charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood, is said to be charity in the mode of passion.

Verse 23
From the beginning of creation, the three syllables-om tat sat-have been used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [Brahman]. They were uttered by brahmanas while chanting Vedic hymns and during sacrifices, for the satisfaction of the Supreme.

Verse 24
Thus the transcendentalists undertake sacrifices, charities, and penances, beginning always with om, to attain the Supreme.

Verse 25
One should perform sacrifice, penance and charity with the word tat. The purpose of such transcendental activities is to get free from the material entanglement.

Verse 26
The word "Sat" is used to refer to reality and goodness; likewise, O Arjuna, the word "Sat" is used to refer to an auspicious act.

Verse 27
Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and gift is also called 'Sat', and action in connection with these, or for the sake of the Supreme, is also called 'Sat'.

Verse 28
But sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the Supreme are nonpermanent, O son of Prtha, regardless of whatever rites are performed. They are called asat and are useless both in this life and the next.

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