dattaswami Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Donation of food is said to be greatest The human race is the blessed category of the creation since the human being alone has the faculty of devotion to God. You must save the life of every human being if it is in need. Even if the human being is an atheist, you must save the life since the atheist has a chance of becoming a devotee in future. Therefore, donation of food is said to be greatest since it is the basis of life. But, you should donate it to the deserving people only. 'Deserving' means any human being suffering for food. The human being must work and earn the food without begging as far as possible. Otherwise, people become lazy without doing work. Hence, while donating the food to a person capable of doing work, you should analyze the background carefully. Generally, poor children, poor old persons, poor disabled and poor patients can be accepted as deserving receivers of your donated food. A rich person should be always avoided as far as possible leaving rare emergent occasions. Do not have any analysis in the occasions of emergency demanding immediate service. Such donation is called as 'Apat-dharma'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 The entire concept of donating alms is different in the four different eras. In satya yuga, the giver went out, in search of a recipient to whom he could give something. In treta yuga, the recipient had to come to the givers house before he would be given anything. In dvapara yuga, the giver never gave anything without being asked for it by the recipient. And in kali yuga, the giver gives only to those who are servile to him. Whenever a Daan is made one must thing as an offering to GOD During the battle of Mahabharat, a Brahmin appears before Karna when he is about to die having been pierced by Arjuna's arrow, while trying to lift his chariot's wheel. The Brahmin requests for some Dhaan (offering) from Karna. Karna was puzzled as he thought, if I was about to go to the Battle-field I could have given a Yatra-Dhaan or if my life was not ending I could have given him a Jeevan Dhaan, but at the moment I don’t have anything to give to him. Karna, the supreme man of charity, cries that he does not have anything to give this Brahmin. The Brahmin reminds him that he can give him the mountain like punya, the Karmaphal which he has accumulated throughout his life with his matchless Dhaan. Karna had given Kavach and Kundal Dhaan to Lord Indra. Karna feels happy that he has now got something to give this Brahmin. He spontaneously does so without any further thought. And at that moment he sees the Brahmin transforming into Lord Krishna. Why did Krishna do this? Why did he ask Karna for Dhaan even at that desperate moment? Why did he take away all his punya? Is it a cruel act of Krishna? No. It is very easy to get misled by such erroneous thoughts or misunderstanding. It is actually an act of karunya by Lord. Throughout his life Karna indeed did limitless Daan. But he had not performed them as an Arpan (offered) to Lord Krishna (God) this limits the benefits he will eventually derive out of that punya. But Krishna by asking for and accepting all his punya, makes Karna do the supreme dhana, that of donating all his punya to Bhagavan Himself. This elevates his Daan to a supreme level, as a Bhagavath Arpana. (Krishna Aarpanmasthu). To bless Karna with his bhagya is the real intention of Lord Krishna, while He himself risks being seen as heartless. This is the true karunya nature of God Sri Krishna. Daan is an offering to God Whenever a Dhaan is made one must thing as an offering to GOD Sri Rama’s Advice To Lakshmana Sri Rama had once taught Lakshmana about the duties of a king. The duties of a king are fourfold. Firstly, he has to earn wealth. Secondly, he has to increase it. Thirdly, he has to protect it. And fourthly and finally, he has to donate it. Sri Sri Ravishankarji says “Rice is purified by a drop of ghee on it”. In the same way the money gets purified by charity. When you give a portion of what you have earned for a good cause then the rest of the money that you have is pure money. What Bhagavat Gita Says Firstly, "Daan" is the original word in Sanskrit for donation meaning selfless giving. In the list of the ten Niyamas (virtuous acts), Daan comes third. In the Gita, Bhagavan Krishna states that the wise have described three main paths to achieving fulfillment- ’Yagyo daanam tapaschaiva, paavnaani maneeshinaam’. Yagya relates to sacrifice, whereby an individual relinquishes something. Daan may be described as a charitable act or donation of something for a good cause. Through organ donation, even those devoid of worldly wealth can accomplish these merits by giving the ultimate gift of life. The noblest method of giving is “Saatvik,” whereby the donor gives unreservedly and not anticipating anything in return. Indeed the recipient should be one who (as in the case of a patient requiring an organ) cannot return the favor and this verse from the Gita corroborates this point: “Daatavyam iti yad daanam diyate ’nupakaarine deshe kaale ca paatre ca tad daanam saattvikam smritam” That gift, which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a deserving person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness." (Bhagavad-Gita Gita 17.20). There are thousands of references regarding EVEN poor people giving away their every possession in order to follow this important DAAN Dharma, aharas tv api sarvasya tri-vidho bhavati priyah yajnas tapas tatha danam tesham bhedam imam shrinu "Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them." aphalakanksibhir yajno vidhi-disto ya ijyate yastavyam eveti manah samadhaya sa sattvikah "Of sacrifices, the sacrifice performed according to the directions of scripture, as a matter of duty, by those who desire no reward, is of the nature of goodness." abhisandhaya tu phalam dambhartham api caiva yat ijyate bharata-srestha tam yajnam viddhi rajasam "But the sacrifice performed for some material benefit, or for the sake of pride, O chief of the Bharatas, you should know to be in the mode of passion." Blood Donation Blood donation is noble act , but it should be done without any reward Vidya donation Nowadays no one teaches the other without some sort of reward. Vidya donation to an ignorant is noble provided it is done without any reward Anna Daan People make give food for hungry to ward off their sufferings. Also it makes the receiver lazy to work. Deserving poor may be offered food without any motive. I have read about some noble persons in Madurai and Trinelveli giving free food for mentally challenged persons etc without expecting any reward. Donating the while still alive WE often read about accident victims Body parts are donated and harvested by hospitals for other ailing patients with Organ Donation One can bequeath eyes by taking a pledge, resolving to donate them after death. But it requires the help of relatives or friends to carry out the pledge and desire. A living person cannot donate eyes. A recipient is not told who donated the eye: the gift of sight is made anonymously. This Donation without expecting any reward is one of the greatest donations. "Hindus cremate the dead body and through the purifying fire principle, the Agni - Devata, the five elements of earth, fire, water, air and ether, composing the body is thanked for having allowed one's soul to have had a use of the body as a temple. However, after death, the body is cast off as "worn old clothes" [bhagwad Gita]. Where such old body parts move to another body they come under the charge of that new resident soul, while the donor soul not only thanks but shows respect to the Vedic Devatas of those five principle elements, by this last act of renunciation. Any donation without expecting any favor or reward, or advertisement for the person donating is a supreme donation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dattaswami Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 The entire concept of donating al..........s, by this last act of renunciation. Any donation without expecting any favor or reward, or advertisement for the person donating is a supreme donation. i agree... The essence of all the rituals is just sacrifice of wealth to a deserving devotee of God and the sacrifice should be in the memory of God. Mere sacrifice to a deserving human being without referring to God is just social service, the reward of which is temporary stay in heaven (Ksheenepunye… Gita). The sacrifice is of two ways. One is in the form of work or service and the other is in the form of wealth. The sacrifice should be done with lot of analysis to discriminate the deserving from the rest. The sacrifice is most powerful means to please God and get His grace, if the receiver deserves. If the receiver does not deserve, the same sacrifice will yield negative results in the form of punishment. Since all the rituals involve sacrifice only as the basis, the rituals should be done with proper analysis in selecting the deserving receiver. The deservingness of the receiver alone decides the fate of the entire ritual. Place, time and formalities of the ritual are not at all important in deciding the fruit of the ritual. If the receiver is undeserving, the sacrifice may be done in sacred Varanasi on sacred day of Maha Shivaratri and the process of sacrifice might have been done correctly following all the steps of the scripture, the result is going to be negative only. If the receiver deserves, whatever may be place, time and procedure of the ritual, the result will be excellent. People are bothered about the place, time and correctness in the steps of the ritual only, which are totally useless. They are not bothered about the main point, which is the deservingness of the receiver. They never analyze the receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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