Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 17, Verse 21
यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुनः।दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम्।।
yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ
dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṁ tad dānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam
also searched as "yat tu pratyupakarartham phalam uddishya va punah"
Translation
But that which is given as a consideration for something received or in expectation of a future reward, or grudgingly, is called a Rajasika gift.
Vāṇi's rendering
A gift given to get something back, or with the reward in mind, or given grudgingly — that gift is restless.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यत्yat | that which |
| तुtu | but |
| प्रत्युपकारार्थम्pratyupakāra-arthaṁ | for the sake of a favour in return (pratyupakāra + arthaṁ, joined by sandhi) |
| फलम्phalam | fruit, reward |
| उद्दिश्यuddiśya | having aimed at, with an eye on |
| वाvā | or |
| पुनःpunaḥ | again, further |
| दीयतेdīyate | is given |
| चca | and |
| परिक्लिष्टम्parikliṣṭaṁ | grudgingly, with inner pain |
| तत्tat | that |
| दानम्dānaṁ | gift, giving |
| राजसम्rājasaṁ | of rajas, restless |
| स्मृतम्smṛtam | is called, is held to be |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 21 mean?
Krishna describes three ways giving turns restless: giving to get a favour back, giving with an eye on some reward, and giving reluctantly. The object handed over may be identical in each case. What differs is the movement inside the giver — a hand that opens while still gripping something.
What is the meaning of yat tu pratyupakarartham phalam uddishya va punah?
It marks the gift given for return. Pratyupakāra is the favour you expect back; phalam is the fruit you have already priced. The verse does not forbid such giving. It names it rājasa — driven, calculating, tiring — and leaves you to notice which kind your own giving is.
Is it wrong to expect gratitude when I give something?
Not wrong, but not free. Krishna calls it rājasa, not tāmasa — it is a step, not a failure. Expectation simply keeps the giving tied to you, so the giving becomes another account to watch. Sāttvika giving cuts the string. You will feel the difference in your own chest first.
Why does giving grudgingly make a gift restless?
Because parikliṣṭa giving hands over the object and the resentment together. The receiver takes both. What looked like generosity arrives as a small debt, and the giver feels depleted rather than lightened. If you cannot give it gladly, Krishna is not asking you to lie about it — only to see it clearly.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Count the gifts you have given that were also invoices. Krishna is not condemning generosity here; he is naming what gets mixed into it. Something given so that something comes back is a trade wearing the clothes of a gift. Something given with the reward in mind — merit, gratitude, a name on a wall — is still reaching. And the gift squeezed out reluctantly carries the giver's resentment along with it, and the one who receives it feels that. Rajas is not evil. It is restlessness — the hand that gives while still holding. Watch your own hand the next time it opens.