In the previous chapter it was said that the prajās, the citizens, strictly followed the system of varṇāśrama-dharma. The brāhmaṇas acted exactly like brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas exactly like kṣatriyas, and so on. Therefore, when Lord Rāmacandra gave everything in charity to the brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas, being qualified, wisely considered that brāhmaṇas are not meant to possess property to make a profit from it. The qualifications of a brāhmaṇa are given in Bhagavad-gītā (18.42) :

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāvajam

“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness — these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.” The brahminical character offers no scope for possessing land and ruling citizens; these are the duties of a kṣatriya. Therefore, although the brāhmaṇas did not refuse Lord Rāmacandra’s gift, after accepting it they returned it to the King. The brāhmaṇas were so pleased with Lord Rāmacandra’s affection toward them that their hearts melted. They saw that Lord Rāmacandra, aside from being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was fully qualified as a kṣatriya and was exemplary in character. One of the qualifications of a kṣatriya is to be charitable. A kṣatriya, or ruler, levies taxes upon the citizens not for his personal sense gratification but to give charity in suitable cases. Dānam īśvara-bhāvaḥ . On one hand, kṣatriyas have the propensity to rule, but on the other they are very liberal with charity. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira gave charity, he engaged Karṇa to take charge of distributing it. Karṇa was very famous as Dātā Karṇa. The word dātā refers to one who gives charity very liberally. The kings always kept a large quantity of food grains in stock, and whenever there was any scarcity of grains, they would distribute grains in charity. A kṣatriya’s duty is to give charity, and a brāhmaṇa’s duty is to accept charity, but not more than needed to maintain body and soul together. Therefore, when the brāhmaṇas were given so much land by Lord Rāmacandra, they returned it to Him and were not greedy.