At the heart of Hinduism, beats the concept of charity. How we connect to God is through donation and how we donate forms the crux of being religious. The society works well only if people do their duties, and this is completely different from donations. So, where do we draw the thin line? Is charity not our duty? This is something my family priest explained once very well and I hope to share this concept of donation with you all.
He said, "When you have leftover food, time, money or clothing, it is your duty to give it to others who need it. Donation occurs when you have a valid need for these objects but still give it to others who need it. "
In fact Hindu scriptures advise going out of the house and shouting three times, " Is any one hungry ? Please come and take your meal! " before one sits down to have a meal. And every time we sit down to eat we offer others first, not caring for our hunger. This thing is so ingrained in Hinduism that we do it involuntarily.
In a true incident that strengthened this belief of mine, on a long and arduous trek me and friend got lost. And we came across an old man carrying a disturbingly heavy bundle of wood to the village. He gladly told us where to go. And he added, after helping us, "please come and eat with me. I will feel bad if I do not share it." So we went over and we saw a tiffin box which contained one small bhakri and an onion. The feeling of sorrow and shame overcame us, as we were carrying so much food with us. We told him we would rather leave it all for him. He became visibly upset that we refused. He became upset that we said no to sharing the little portion of meal he had for himself.
Imagine yourself in this position where an old guy who can afford just one bhakri for lunch after having carried a load of wood heavier than himself, is sitting down and offering to share his food and gets upset when we refuse to eat. In the end we had a morsel and gave him the food we had and left.
And we left changed, humbled Indians.
These days we all crib, "I am so busy, I have no time!" But just imagine now staying up one hour late to do your homework and spend one hour each week teaching a poor kid English or Mathematics. It does not take a lot of time understanding that adding a little stress to your own life, at the cost of your own time, is nothing compared to how much the little kid will be benefited. This is because many times your time makes a bigger difference for someone else than it could ever do for you.
When a father gives his son twenty rupees to buy a toy worth fifteen rupees, and the son donates the remaining five rupees to someone, this does not count as donation. The child had been eyeing that toy for weeks and weeks and finally got money to buy that toy after convincing his dad. When that child sees a beggar on the street who hasnt had a meal in days, and decides to give his twenty rupees so that the beggar can have a meal, instead of buying his toy, that would be a good example of donation.
Donation is never easy, charity rarely is an comfortable act. And that is why it is rightly said, “We only have what we give.” ― Isabel Allende
He said, "When you have leftover food, time, money or clothing, it is your duty to give it to others who need it. Donation occurs when you have a valid need for these objects but still give it to others who need it. "
In fact Hindu scriptures advise going out of the house and shouting three times, " Is any one hungry ? Please come and take your meal! " before one sits down to have a meal. And every time we sit down to eat we offer others first, not caring for our hunger. This thing is so ingrained in Hinduism that we do it involuntarily.
In a true incident that strengthened this belief of mine, on a long and arduous trek me and friend got lost. And we came across an old man carrying a disturbingly heavy bundle of wood to the village. He gladly told us where to go. And he added, after helping us, "please come and eat with me. I will feel bad if I do not share it." So we went over and we saw a tiffin box which contained one small bhakri and an onion. The feeling of sorrow and shame overcame us, as we were carrying so much food with us. We told him we would rather leave it all for him. He became visibly upset that we refused. He became upset that we said no to sharing the little portion of meal he had for himself.
Imagine yourself in this position where an old guy who can afford just one bhakri for lunch after having carried a load of wood heavier than himself, is sitting down and offering to share his food and gets upset when we refuse to eat. In the end we had a morsel and gave him the food we had and left.
And we left changed, humbled Indians.
These days we all crib, "I am so busy, I have no time!" But just imagine now staying up one hour late to do your homework and spend one hour each week teaching a poor kid English or Mathematics. It does not take a lot of time understanding that adding a little stress to your own life, at the cost of your own time, is nothing compared to how much the little kid will be benefited. This is because many times your time makes a bigger difference for someone else than it could ever do for you.
When a father gives his son twenty rupees to buy a toy worth fifteen rupees, and the son donates the remaining five rupees to someone, this does not count as donation. The child had been eyeing that toy for weeks and weeks and finally got money to buy that toy after convincing his dad. When that child sees a beggar on the street who hasnt had a meal in days, and decides to give his twenty rupees so that the beggar can have a meal, instead of buying his toy, that would be a good example of donation.
Donation is never easy, charity rarely is an comfortable act. And that is why it is rightly said, “We only have what we give.” ― Isabel Allende
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