Annadanam (food donation) should be done to deserv

[dattaswami]

Annadanam (food donation) should be done to deserving only

 

In the ancient time, sages were also performing marriages and other rituals. They used to invite the sages related to them. All the sages were best eligible receivers of food etc. But today, all the relatives of the Brahmins, who were descendents of sages are undeserving by their qualities and actions. Today, you are calling them, since they are your relatives. Their behavior even in the worldly life (Pravrutti) is not correct according to Dharma. The real devotion to God (Nivrutti) is completely absent. When you do Annadanam to such undeserving persons, all the sins are falling on you affecting the couple. In the olden days, our ancestors used to invite deserving people only by their Pravrutti and Nivrutti irrespective of relationship. They were very few in number and the feast was given to them for many days and thus, the marriage was for 5 days to 16 days. Instead of feeding 100 undeserving people in single sitting as we do today, our ancestors were feeding 5 deserving people for 20 days. In the first case, egoistic exposition of relatives exists as said by Gita (Adhyobhijanavanasmi).

 

In both cases expenses are one and the same. But, in the first case, all the sin is accumulated and in the second case all good is accumulated. In the first case, the couple is cursed and in the second case, the couple is blessed. If you are not getting deserving guests for the feast, you spend the same amount in feeding hungry beggars in the name of God. Then also, the couple is blessed.

 

Today, the Brahmins are suffering due to the heavy expenses in the function, which are not only useless but also harmful to the couple. Most of the Brahmins are poor and are spending on functions by borrowing loans or selling the properties to earn the sin!

 

They can invest the money used in the functions in the names of the couple, which will be useful for its future. Even if it is wasted, it does not matter much. But, it is bringing negative results and therefore, a serious analysis is required.

[Siddharth_NTR]

olu nuvvu

[OnlyNfan]

olu nuvvu

puttaparti sai baba priya sishyudu

[dattaswami]

The Veda says that the main characteristic of deservingness of a receiver is the lack of attraction on the returns (Shrotriyasya chaakamahatasya…). When the priest is invited to perform a ritual, he should not aspire for any benefit or returns. He should not ask for the fees. He should accept immediately to perform the ritual without a trace of aspiration for fees. The ritual involves worship of God and he should thank God for getting an opportunity to worship God through the ritual. At the end of the ritual, whatever may be paid to him, it should be received with pleasure and full gratitude. He should feel that the money is given to him by God. He should feel that the donor is only a mechanical means of God. Thus, he should not analyze the payment, which is the form of grace of God. Even if nothing is given, he should return to home after expressing full gratitude to the doer of the ritual for giving an opportunity to participate in the worship of God.

 

If this attitude is maintained, the expectation for fees will not take birth in the mind. Since the ritual is misunderstood as some work of soaping God to give some benefits to the doer of the ritual, the priest is expecting fees from the doer. In fact, if the priest performs the ritual understanding it as the worship of God, the priest himself will be benefitted along with the doer of the ritual. The priest performs the ritual for the sake of the fees only, so that the doer of the ritual alone is supposed to get the total benefit from the worship. The sage Yaska says that the priest is a porter of the luggage of huge gold in performing the ritual for a petty remuneration from the doer of the ritual and rendering all the gold to the doer of the ritual only (Swarna bhara harah…).