दानं कर्तुं तथा त्रातुं पात्रं तु ब्राह्मणोर्हति । अन्नस्य क्षुधितं पात्रं नारीनरमयात्मकम् १९ ।
In order to perform charity and offer protection, the recipient must be a Brahmana. The recipient should be one who is hungry, as well as a person whose body and soul are aligned with purity—whether they are men or women.