Transactional giving is rajasic.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुनः |दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ||१७-२१||
yattu pratyupakārārthaṃ phalamuddiśya vā punaḥ . dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṃ taddānaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||17-21||
Use this verse to detect transactional charity.
Meaning
Charity given reluctantly, or with expectation of return or result, is considered rajasic.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Rajasic charity expects return, benefit, or recognition.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna shows how generosity becomes transactional. When giving is done for return, influence, obligation, tax of ego, or reluctant image-maintenance, it becomes rajasic.
Read the traditional commentary
Rajasic charity is giving with strings attached. It is offered pratyupakara-artham — expecting a favour in return — or phalam uddishya, with an eye on some reward, whether worldly profit or spiritual merit. And it is often given pariklishtam: grudgingly, with reluctance and inner resistance, as though parting with something painful.
Krishna exposes the transactional heart of much that passes for generosity. When a gift is really an investment expecting returns, or is given to look good or earn karmic credit, it remains entangled in self-interest. The reluctance that often accompanies such giving betrays its impurity — the hand opens, but the heart does not.
The act may still help its recipient, yet for the giver it carries little spiritual fruit, because the ego is calculating throughout. Krishna invites us to notice whether our giving is free, or quietly keeping score.
In daily life
Notice hidden expectations behind generosity.
A donor may give to gain access, loyalty, influence, or public goodwill.
Try this today
Give once without asking, hinting, or tracking return.
I release expectation from my giving.Reflect
What am I expecting in return for my giving?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘यत् तु प्रत्युपकारार्थम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on generosity, in other chapters
- Verse 3.13Receive life's gifts as something first offered and shared, and even eating becomes purifying rather than self-centred.
- Verse 4.28Generosity, discipline, practice, and study are all sacred offerings — every sincere effort to grow is a form of sacrifice.
- Verse 18.5Acts of sacrifice, generosity, and self-discipline purify us and should never be abandoned.
- Verse 7.16Whatever motive first turns you toward the Divine — pain, curiosity, or need — is a valid and welcomed beginning.
Swipe left for 17.22 · Giving needs respect and discernment.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 17.21
Who says Bhagavad Gita 17.21, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 17.21, in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 17.21 mean?
Charity given reluctantly, or with expectation of return or result, is considered rajasic. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 17.21 for daily life?
Notice hidden expectations behind generosity. A donor may give to gain access, loyalty, influence, or public goodwill.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 17.21 mean?
यत् तु प्रत्युपकारार्थम् — but that which is given to get something in return; फलम् उद्दिश्य वा पुनः — or with a view to a reward / fruit; दीयते च परिक्लिष्टम् — and is given reluctantly / grudgingly; तत् दानम् राजसम् स्मृतम् — that gift is regarded as rajasic.
Where does verse 17.21 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 21 of 28 in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 17.22.