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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 944 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN CVII. Dakṣiṇā.

1.THESE men’s great bounty hath been manifested, and the whole world of life set free from darkness. Great light hath come, vouchsafed us by the Fathers: apparent is the spacious path of Guerdon.

2.High up in heaven abide the Guerdon-givers: they who give steeds dwell with the Sun for ever. They who give gold are blest with life eternal. they who give robes prolong their lives, O Soma.

3.Not from the niggards-for they give not fireely-comes Meed at sacrifice, Gods’ satisfaction: Yea, many men with hands stretched out with Guerdon present their gifts because they dread dishonour.

4.These who observe mankind regard oblation as streamy Vāyu and light-finding Arka. They satisfy and give their gifts in synod, and pour in streams the seven-mothered Guerdon.

5.He who brings Guerdon comes as first invited: chief of the hamlet comes the Guerdon-bearer. Him I account the ruler of the people who was the first to introduce the Guerdon.

6.They call him Ṛṣi, Brahman, Sāma-chanter, reciter of the laud, leader of worship. The brightly-shining God’s three forms he knoweth who first bestowed the sacrificial Guerdon.

7.Guerdon bestows the horse, bestows the bullock, Guerdon bestows, moreover, gold that Rsisters. Guerdon gives food which is our life and spirit. He who is wise takes Guerdon for his armour.

8.The liberal die not, never are they ruined: the liberal suffer neither harm nor trouble. The light of heaven, the universe about us,—all this doth sacrificial Guerdon give them.

9.First have the liberal gained a fragrant dwelling, and got themselves a bride in fair apparel. The liberal have obtained their draught of liquor, and conquered those who, unprovoked, assailed them.

10.They deck the fleet steed for the bounteous giver: the maid adorns herself and waits to meet him. His home is like a lake with lotus blossoms, like the Gods’ palaces adorned and splendid.

11.Steeds good at draught convey the liberal giver, and lightly rolling moves the car of Guerdon. Assist, ye Gods, the liberal man in battles: the liberal giver conquers foes in combat.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep calling generosity 'Guerdon' and treat it like a giver?

The chapter personifies generosity as ‘Guerdon’ to show giving as an active, sacred power: it “bestows the horse, bestows the bullock…gold,” and even “gives food which is our life and spirit.” Treating Guerdon as a dispenser of rewards ties ritual giving to concrete blessings—wealth, fame, safety, and a fragrant dwelling—so generosity is both practice and source of cosmic benefit.

This hymn links ritual donors, called Ṛṣi, Brahman, and Sāma-chanter, to that power, implying the sacrificial giver enacts and channels Guerdon. That move echoes later texts like the Mahābhārata, where gift and merit (dāna and puṇya) function as moral forces that return goods and social status to the donor.

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