दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे।देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम्॥
dātavyam iti yad dānaṃ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇedeśe kāle ca pātre ca tad dānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam
Word by word
The verse says
A gift given because giving is what is done, to somebody who cannot pay it back, in the right place, at the right time, to the right person - that gift is the clear kind.
In plain words
Four conditions, and the first two do all the work.
Given because it is given. And given to anupakāriṇe - somebody in no position to return it.
That second one is the sharper test. A gift that can be repaid is partly an investment. This verse asks for the kind that closes no circle.
Where you've felt this · with money
You pay the fare of a man behind you on the bus who has come up short, and you get off two stops later. He has no idea who you are and no way to find you. Nothing will come back from it - not a favour, not a reputation, not even a thank you that anybody else will hear. That is the only thing that makes it a gift rather than a transaction.
Going deeper
Giving to somebody who cannot repay you is the condition that separates a gift from an exchange, and the Sanskrit is precise about it.
Anupakāriṇe means one who will do no return favour. It is not about the recipient being poor. It is about the loop being closed on your side. The moment something can come back - gratitude you will see, a reputation, a favour owed - part of the giving has become a purchase, and you may not be able to feel the difference from inside.
The other conditions are more ordinary and still worth having. Right place, right time, right person. Generosity that ignores these is often really about the giver's need to give, which is a different thing and tends to land badly.
And the first clause quietly takes the drama out. Because giving is what is done. Not because the person deserves it, not because you were moved. Those come and go. The habit does not have to.