Bhagavad Gita 16.15 · Krishna
Giving to be seen
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया।
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः॥
āḍhyo’abhijanavānasmi ko’anyo’asti sadṛśo mayāyakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ityajñānavimohitāḥ
I am rich and well-born. Who else is like me? I will offer, I will give, I will enjoy. So they speak, deluded by ignorance.
What it means
Krishna completes the monologue. I'm rich. I come from a great family. No one is like me. I'll make grand offerings and give generously, and enjoy the praise. Even giving becomes a performance. Krishna calls this ajnana, a deep not-knowing. The person has lost sight of what giving is for.
The story
Duryodhana hosted lavish ceremonies to show his status. Krishna points out that generosity done for applause feeds the ego, not the soul.
In your life
Imagine a donor who insisted on their name in large letters on the building. Give one gift this week anonymously, and tell no one.
Give quietly, and the gift stays pure.