Stress Fears Charity:
Charity Cheers All
आब गया आदर गया, नैनन गया सनेह।
यह तीनों तबही गये, जबहिं कहा कछु देह।।
Aab
gaya aadar gaya, Nainan gaya saneh
Yah
teenon tabhi gaye, Jabhin kaha kuch deh
Kabir
Saint Kabir says
that honour, respect and love disappears from eyes as soon as one extends his cupped
receiving hand before somebody. This happens with many of us every day; it is
worse when somebody begs alms.
The beauty of real charity is that the receiver
should feel honoured, respected and be given with love and without any
obligation. That is the spirit. Giving is good; and if the gift is given with a
good heart, without expecting anything in return it’s an act of reaching
spiritual highness and true humanity. The beneficiary need not extend his hands
for alms.
Charity is a duty, not an obligation, entrusted by the Lord
to all those who have, to execute the Trust, created by Him for those who are specially
privileged to be the beneficiaries with the direction to giver- the medium not the
owner - that his left hand should not know what the right hand is doing.
Many ignorant people
enforce it, as their right, to
distribute charity themselves with their own hands with the expectation
that it would be fruitful to them in relieving their distress here in this
world and in the next birth also-those who believe in it, as well as in His
Court on the return journey. Expectation
of returns nullifies the aim of charity and it is against the wish of the
Lord and also denying that He knows everything-many things which we are not
even aware, He is Omnipresent and Omniscient. Expectation of return, give and
take, here or thereafter makes Charity a barter whether in this world or
thereafter, hence loses its character as charity-remember charity is not a
trade, given by left hand and taken by right hand.
Charity can be anything it need not be in cash or kind, big or small, even
the smallest acts that give peace, happiness and tranquility to a soul are acts
of charity provided you do not act as doer let He be the doer. Some people have exceptional ways to give
Charity, Shri Bir Dasondhi Ram-Birji as he was popularly known-of Patiala
Punjab; was such an exceptional person; an epitome of real charity; a man
different; had a smiling face: the most respected; he gave Charity to the
society; by cremating himself sometimes alone; the unclaimed human dead bodies
found anywhere in the city-one of the Highest forms of charity: taught younger
generations particularly the girls the manners to live by: he guided even the
misguided, had a ray of hope for everyone whosoever met him. Yes, he was a
different man with His light in Him.
Charity given out of duty, without expectation of
return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person is considered to
be in the mode of goodness.
Bhagavad Gita
Everybody can give, it requires His benevolence both as to the
material, money and others things one possesses, as well as a heart full of compassion
and love for fellow human beings-later is more important. In addition, one must
have the attitude of give and forget, never remember what has been given; as it
was given by Him to the beneficiary and you were only a medium. Giver also
loses, when his name is inscribed on charity, even Lord gives without His name
inscribed, Albert Einstein said “Coincidences are God's way of remaining
anonymous”. He -The Lord gives you the freedom to name and boast as you like
what He gave; so give freedom to the beneficiary to name, what you gave, the
way he likes. Never be more than Him; behave; otherwise it is better not to
give.
In day to day life
one must have the attitude of “Give, take and give”; whenever one has to pay,
pay with a smile, gratitude creating a feeling of happiness and a relationship
- this also helps in reducing the stress both for the giver and the taker. In case of Charity one must develop the
attitude of “Give, give and give”. Make the beneficiary, if one can, happy
bodily, mentally and emotionally.
Charity has to be associated and performed with the hard
earned money
because the God is, has been and will always be with purity, truth, peace and
everything that is for welfare of common people. Money grabbed has never been
fruitful even for men who grab -it has hidden ills – the kinds at least humans
do not know - how God can accept it such tainted offering.
Every beneficiary of charity is replica of God and see
only Him
in him, respect him like Him-a few has done so, for example Ramji Das who later
became famous as Bhagat Puran Singh established at the age of just 19 years, Pingalwara-
(Nigharian Da Ghar) A Home for Homeless, Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1924, is a
glorious institution which looks after destitutes, based on principle “Eh Janam
Tumhare Lekhe” O Lord this life is for you. He saw the Lord in every destitute
and so Mother Teresa.
“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this
is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or
gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.”
― Mother Teresa
As soon as one decides to do charity in cash or kind or
else, it immediately becomes a property held in trust for the
beneficiaries till they receive it; do not use any portion of it thereafter,
for your personal use or otherwise; it is sin to take any benefit out of it - the
intended Charity- in any manner, it would be breach of trust the Lord reposed
in you, punishable both in this world and thereafter.
Charity is a pious activity; perform it with religious
fervour,
with purity of body, mind and soul above all keep your anger, ego and tongue in
control, it is not thrust upon by anyone, it is performed of your own will,
choice, capacity and timing, everything is yours, there no question of any
agitative mind, action, gesture and show of ego. Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita
says:
But charity performed with the expectation of some
return, or with the desire of fruitive results or in a grudging mood, is said
to be the charity in passion mode.
And charity performed at an improper place at improper
time to unworthy persons without proper attention and respect is said to be in
the mode of ignorance.
Bhagavad Gita
Charity is a prayer and should always be performed in
the name
of the Lord with full humility and surrender to Him at appropriate time and
place
There are five prayers and five times of day for prayer;
the five have five names. Let the first be truthfulness, the second honest
living, and the third charity in the Name of God. Let the fourth be good will
to all, and the fifth the praise of the Lord.
Shri Guru Granth Sahib
One should feel
honoured and obliged when the charity beneficiaries arrive because as Confucius
said, “He who wished to secure good of
others, has already secured his own”. Always remember taking, collecting,
amassing are headache it is giving alone that can change your life.
At the end of life we will not be judged by how many
diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things
we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me
something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took
me in.”
― Mother Teresa
Charity involves one
in itself, shifts focus from the surroundings, the men around, circumstances,
to what one is
doing, brings positivity in actions and thoughts, it is absorbing, it brings a
change initially for few minutes or hours and with repetitive charity one may feel stress free and His Blessings also.
Charity is a godly feeling: always a stress buster: stress fears charity that
cheers all.
The Lord resides in Charity, He multiplies
whatever is given in Charity sometimes urgently as needed for the honour of the
Trustee – experienced by men so many times. It is a common that Charity food
seldom finishes before arrival of the last beneficiary; so give as graciously
as you can give but never waste.
The Lord, purity, prayer, truth and charity have white
colour,
fearless, open and for common good. Charity if devoid of these; is private, for
a few and favoured, is not a charity in His Court nor in this world nor in
one’s own society. It is not Charity even for one own-self.
Charity is not occasional it is perennial act. Some people do
charity at the time they are in some trouble – that smacks of the expectation.
Make charity part of your life, give a bite if you have half a chapatti even
that is equal to lakhs of rupees if given satisfying all cannons of Charity: as
it is always in the name of the God and not in the name of the persons.
Many religions,
beliefs, faiths, scriptures, sages and saints prescribed desvand-1/10 equal to 10% of your income be given for
charity. That is ideal. This is for those who are Trustee of The Trust created
by Him- The Lord and those who can’t afford are beneficiaries in the worldly
terms but in His Court they are above everybody else as they have performed the
duty much tougher than the Trustees, entrusted to them by the Lord. Use desvand
the way one feels, would reach the real beneficiaries not through somebody else
and perform the duty of a Trustee to your satisfaction and for the service of
the Lord.
The beneficiaries also have duty in the matters relating
to charity.
They are the most important privileged persons. They have to maintain
discipline, decorum, have patience and be organized, as they are in His service
not for any human being.
In your morning prayer each day, ask Heavenly Father to
guide you to recognize and opportunity, to serve one of His precious children.
Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love looking for
someone to help.
M. Russell Ballard
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