Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gita As It Is 17.20

datavyam iti yad danam

diyate 'nupakarine

dese kale ca patre ca

tad danam sattvikam smritam

SYNONYMS

datavyam -- worth giving; iti -- thus; yat -- that which; danam -- charity; diyate -- is given; anupakarine -- irrespective of return; dese -- in a proper place; kale -- at a proper time; ca -- also; patre -- to a suitable person; ca -- and; tat -- that; danam -- charity; sattvikam -- in the mode of goodness; smritam -- is considered.

TRANSLATION

Charity given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person is considered to be in the mode of goodness.

PURPORT

In the Vedic literature, charity given to a person engaged in spiritual activities is recommended. There is no recommendation for giving charity indiscriminately. Spiritual perfection is always a consideration. Therefore charity is recommended to be given at a place of pilgrimage and at lunar or solar eclipses or at the end of the month or to a qualified brahmana or a Vaishnava (devotee) or in temples. Such charities should be given without any consideration of return. Charity to the poor is sometimes given out of compassion, but if a poor man is not worth giving charity to, then there is no spiritual advancement. In other words, indiscriminate charity is not recommended in the Vedic literature.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness