Giving needs respect and discernment.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते |असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ||१७-२२||
adeśakāle yaddānamapātrebhyaśca dīyate . asatkṛtamavajñātaṃ tattāmasamudāhṛtam ||17-22||
Use this verse to avoid harmful charity.
Meaning
Charity given at the wrong place or time, to unworthy recipients, without respect or with contempt, is declared tamasic.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Tamasic charity is careless, disrespectful, or misdirected.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna emphasizes that giving also needs discernment. Charity can cause harm if given carelessly, disrespectfully, or to the wrong use.
Read the traditional commentary
Tamasic charity completes the trio. It is given adesha-kale — at an unfit place and time — to apatrebhyah, unworthy or inappropriate recipients, and worst of all asatkritam and avajnatam: without courtesy, even with contempt or insult to the one receiving. The act is careless, thoughtless, and demeaning, lacking both wisdom and warmth.
Krishna reveals that how we give matters as much as whether we give. A gift handed over with disdain wounds rather than uplifts; charity stripped of respect for the recipient's dignity carries the heaviness of tamas. There is no discernment about timing, place, or fitness, and no compassion in the manner of giving.
The deeper lesson is that genuine generosity honours the receiver. To give while humiliating someone is not charity at all, but a darker thing dressed in its clothes.
In daily life
Give in a way that protects dignity and creates real benefit.
A person giving old unusable items with contempt may be giving tamas, not compassion.
Try this today
Before giving, check place, time, recipient, and respect.
I give wisely and respectfully.Reflect
Does my giving respect the receiver’s dignity?
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Quick check
What does ‘असत्कृतम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on dignity, in other chapters
- Verse 18.63Truth is offered to be freely reflected on and chosen, never imposed — your decision remains your own.
- Verse 4.28Generosity, discipline, practice, and study are all sacred offerings — every sincere effort to grow is a form of sacrifice.
- Verse 14.8The most dangerous bondage is the one that dulls you to its own presence — heedlessness, laziness, and stupor.
- Verse 2.42Do not be satisfied with beautiful spiritual language that does not challenge and transform your actual way of living — truth is always more demanding than its ornate descriptions.
Swipe left for 17.23 · Sacred action begins with remembrance of Brahman.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 17.22
Who says Bhagavad Gita 17.22, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 17.22, in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 17.22 mean?
Charity given at the wrong place or time, to unworthy recipients, without respect or with contempt, is declared tamasic. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 17.22 for daily life?
Give in a way that protects dignity and creates real benefit. A person giving old unusable items with contempt may be giving tamas, not compassion.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 17.22 mean?
अदेशकाले — at a wrong place and time; यत् दानम् — that gift which; अपात्रेभ्यः च दीयते — is given to unworthy persons; असत्कृतम् — without respect / proper courtesy; अवज्ञातम् — with contempt or insult.
Where does verse 17.22 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 22 of 28 in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 17.23.