Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 69: Daśaratha Reaches Mithilā
Text 1.69.15
प्रतिग्रहो दातृवशः श्रुतमेतन्मया पुरा।
यथा वक्ष्यसि धर्मज्ञ तत्करिष्यामहे वयम्॥
pratigraho dātṛ-vaśaḥ śrutam etan mayā purā
yathā vakṣyasi dharmajña tat kariṣyāmahe vayam
pratigrahaḥ = receipt of charity; dātṛ-vaśaḥ = depends on the giver of charity; śrutam etat mayā = I have heard this; purā = in the past; yathā vakṣyasi = as you say; dharmajña = O knower of Vedic dharma; tat kariṣyāmahe vayam = we will do.
Receipt of charity depends on the giver of charity. I have heard this in the past. O knower of Vedic dharma, we will do as you say.
1 This is the situation that the recepient will naturally find himself in.
Receipt of a daughter, cow and so on are certainly dependent on the giver of charity. The gift is received by the recepient only when the donor gives in charity [whatever he wants to give].1 This will also apply to Janaka’s gift of his daughter, who had strength as her price, [to Rāma].