Text 6] Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura
163
TRANSLATION
The demigods replied: O exalted brāhmaṇa, pious persons like you, whose activities are praiseworthy, are very kind and affectionate to people in general. What can't such pious souls give for the benefit of others? They can give everything, including their bodies.
TEXT 6
नूनं स्वार्थपरो लोको न वेद परसंकटम् । यदि वेद न याचेत नेति नाह यदीश्वरः ॥ ६ ॥
nūnam svārtha-paro loko na veda para-saṅkaṭam yadi veda na yāceta neti nāha yad īśvaraḥ
nūnam —certainly;  sva-artha-paraḥ —interested only in sense gratification in this life or the next;  lokaḥ —materialistic people in general;  na —not;  veda —know;  para-saṅkaṭam —the pain of others;  yadi —if:  veda —know;  na —not;  yāceta —would ask;  na —no;  iti —thus;  na āha —does not say;  yat —since;  īśvaraḥ —able to give charity.
TRANSLATION
Those who are too self-interested beg something from others, not knowing of others' pain. But if the beggar knew the difficulty of the giver, he would not ask for anything. Similarly, he who is able to give charity does not know the beggar's difficulty, for otherwise he would not refuse to give the beggar anything he might want as charity.
PURPORT
This verse describes two people—one who gives charity and one who begs for it. A beggar should not ask charity from a person who is in difficulty. Similarly, one who is able to give charity should not deny a beggar. These are the moral instructions of the  śāstra . Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says,  san-nimitte varam tyāgo vināśe niyate sati : everything within this material world will be destroyed, and therefore one should use everything