Om Shri Matre Namah

In short: this Telugu reflection by Bhamidipati Gowrishankar says that real daanam is helping someone in need without expecting anything in return, and that giving calls for good character (guna), not wealth. It recalls Karna, Shibi, Dadhichi and Bali, and ends with a small bus story. We add short context on the four examples, Bhagavad Gita 17.20-22 on the three kinds of daana, and answers to common questions.

A Telugu reflection by Bhamidipati Gowrishankar

What is daanam? Giving without expecting anything back

There are many spiritual definitions in answer to the question 'What is daanam?' Put mainly, it is helping those in need without expecting any return, and forgetting it as soon as it is done. Not everyone gives. There are many great proofs in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata that not everyone can. Even Duryodhana, who was called the emperor of emperors, once declared his helplessness, unable to give. But Karna, the king of Anga, gave. Even at the time of the war, when his chariot had sunk into the earth, he passed the test set by Sri Krishna and came to be called Daanakarna. Shibi was ready to cut his own body into pieces to protect a dove. Dadhichi stood as a great giver by giving away his very spine. Emperor Bali gave three paces of land to Vishnu himself, the bearer of the earth. All of them, expecting nothing in return, gave assurance of safety to those who begged of them and became adorned with glory. What happens in society today, giving a quarter-rupee and wanting twenty-five rupees' worth of publicity, does not count as daanam.

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Karna, Shibi, Dadhichi and Bali: the traditional stories behind the names

(The four examples below are traditional epic and Puranic stories, retold over generations; details differ between tellings, and they are not historical records.)

  • Karna: in the Mahabharata tradition the king of Anga is remembered as Daanakarna because he is said never to have turned away anyone who asked of him. A well-known story tells that he gave away his natural armour and earrings when Indra came to him in disguise as a petitioner.
  • Shibi: a king remembered in the traditional story for offering his own flesh to protect a dove that had taken refuge with him.
  • Dadhichi: a sage who, in the Puranic account, gave up his bones so that the gods could have a weapon, the thunderbolt, made from them.
  • Bali: the emperor who, when Vishnu came as the boy Vamana, gave him the three paces of land he asked for. The story is told in full on our page on the Vamana avatar (linked below).

Selflessness, the right time and the right person

Selflessness is needed in daanam. It should be given at the right time to those who need it. The secrecy kept should be such that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given. It should not be done for the sake of show. Giving has its benefits. But one should not give merely in expectation of the benefit. Daanam is a good deed and speaks of positive energy. It heralds good changes in life. It does good to the giver, the receiver and society. People usually think rajayoga means wealth or good fortune coming one's way. But Vemana gives this word another special meaning. Charity and righteousness, compassion, truth, ethics, humility, courage and valour, sacrifice... having these qualities is true rajayoga, he says.

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A story: the woman on the bus

An elderly man was travelling on a bus. Another elderly woman was sitting in the next seat. Meanwhile a pregnant woman got on the bus. The elderly woman got up and gave her her seat. As soon as the pregnant woman got off, she sat down again. After a while an old man climbed on the bus with the support of a stick. This woman again got up and gave him the seat. She helped the old man to get off. Then came another old woman. As usual the elderly woman got up. The elderly man in the next seat asked her in irritation: 'Amma, why can't you sit peacefully in your own seat? Every time someone comes and you get up... why all this?' She replied: 'Sir, I have no money, but God gave me the great boon of being born a human being. I wondered how I could help others. A swamiji told me that selfless help given to those who need it is a way of expressing gratitude to God. That is the only daanam I am able to do. Beyond this, I could see no other way for me to serve God.' Daanam does not need wealth. Having 'guna', a good quality of heart, is enough.

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Reflection by: — Bhamidipati Gowrishankar

What the Bhagavad Gita says about three kinds of daana

Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita describes how the spirit in which a gift is given decides its kind. Verses 17.20 to 17.22 name three kinds of daana: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. They describe how and in what spirit gifts are given; they do not promise any particular result.

Bhagavad Gita 17.20: sattvic daana

दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥

dātavyamiti yaddānaṃ dīyate'nupakāriṇe |
deśe kāle ca pātre ca taddānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ||

Meaning: A gift given as a duty, to one who can do nothing in return, at the right place and time and to a fitting person, is called sattvic.

Bhagavad Gita 17.21: rajasic daana

यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुनः ।
दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥

yattu pratyupakārārthaṃ phalamuddiśya vā punaḥ |
dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṃ taddānaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||

Meaning: But a gift given in expectation of something in return, or with the fruit in view, or reluctantly, is called rajasic.

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Bhagavad Gita 17.22: tamasic daana

अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते ।
असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥

adeśakāle yaddānamapātrebhyaśca dīyate |
asatkṛtamavajñātaṃ tattāmasamudāhṛtam ||

Meaning: A gift given at the wrong place and time, to unfit recipients, without respect or with contempt, is called tamasic.

Sanskrit text: Shrimad Bhagavadgita, chapter 17, verses 20 to 22, as given on sanskritdocuments.org. The reflection's own advice to give at the right time, to those in need and without publicity echoes these verses; the comparison is ours, not the author's.

Frequently asked questions

What is daanam?

Daanam means giving. In the reflection's words, it is helping someone in need without expecting anything in return, and forgetting it as soon as it is done. In the Bhagavad Gita (17.20) a gift counts as sattvic when it is given as a duty, to someone who cannot repay it, at the right place and time and to a fitting person.

Can we do daanam without money?

Yes. The reflection ends with a woman on a bus who has no money, yet gives up her seat again and again to a pregnant woman and to elderly people. She says that selfless help to those who need it is her way of thanking God, and the author concludes that daanam needs no wealth, only a good quality (guna) of heart. Time, effort, a seat, a helping hand or a kind word are all ways of giving.

Why should daanam be given quietly, without publicity?

The reflection says to keep it so secret that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given, and it warns against giving for show or hoping for publicity out of proportion to the gift. The Gita (17.21) likewise describes a gift made in expectation of something in return, or for the sake of its fruit, as rajasic, which is a lower kind of giving than the sattvic one.

What does the Bhagavad Gita say about the types of daana?

Chapter 17 describes three kinds. Sattvic daana (17.20) is given as a duty, to one who cannot repay, in the right place and time and to a fitting person. Rajasic daana (17.21) is given expecting something back, wanting the fruit of the gift, or reluctantly. Tamasic daana (17.22) is given at the wrong place and time, to an unfit person, without respect or with contempt.

What are examples of daanam in daily life?

Offering your seat to someone who needs it, as in the bus story; sharing a meal with someone hungry; helping an elderly neighbour with errands; sharing what you know with someone who wants to learn; giving your time to a temple or community service; or giving money to a cause you have checked and trust. The common thread is that the help is real, timely and given without expecting credit.

Why are Karna, Shibi, Dadhichi and Bali remembered for daanam?

In the epic and Puranic tradition each is remembered for giving without holding back: Karna, called Daanakarna, for never turning away a petitioner; Shibi for offering his own body to protect a dove; Dadhichi for giving up his bones; and Bali for giving three paces of land to Vishnu as Vamana. These are traditional stories, and details differ between tellings.

Editor's note

This reflection was shared with HinduTone in Telugu; it is by Bhamidipati Gowrishankar. The Telugu version is the original; the English and Hindi pages are faithful translations of it. The reflection itself, including the references to Karna, Shibi, Dadhichi, Bali, Vemana and the bus story, is the author's. In the Telugu text only a few words split across lines in print and a stray quotation mark in the title were corrected. HinduTone added the short summary, the note that the four examples are traditional stories, Bhagavad Gita 17.20-22 with the Sanskrit text, meaning and source, the questions and answers and the related links. We have not added any quotation from Vemana; the reference to his view is as the author gives it. This page is a spiritual reflection, not professional advice.

Last updated: 31 October 2026

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