Bhagavad-Gita on Charity

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Hare Krishna!

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada---our Jagat Guru!

First of all --the word "Hindu" does not exist in any Vedic scriptures.

So it can not be classified as un-hindu or hindu. What we are therefore

going to base our conclusion is on Vedic Scriptures.

References Bhagavad-Gita As IT IS and Srimad Bhagavatam by His Divine Grace

A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Bg 18.5 T Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation

yajna-dana-tapah-karma

na tyajyam karyam eva tat

yajno danam tapas caiva

pavanani manisinam

 

SYNONYMS

 

yajna--sacrifice; dana--charity; tapah--penance; karma--activities;

na--never; tyajyam--to be given up; karyam--must be done; eva--certainly;

tat--that; yajnah--sacrifice; danam--charity; tapah--penance; ca--also;

eva--certainly; pavanani--purifying; manisinam--even of the great souls.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should

be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great

souls.

 

PURPORT

 

The yogis should perform acts for the advancement of human society. There

are many purificatory processes for advancing a human being to spiritual

life. The marriage ceremony, for example, is considered to be one of these

sacrifices. It is called vivaha-yajna. Should a sannyasi, who is in the

renounced order of life and who has given up his family relations, encourage

the marriage ceremony? The Lord says here that any sacrifice which is meant

for human welfare should never be given up. Vivaha-yajna, the marriage

ceremony, is meant to regulate the human mind to become peaceful for

spiritual advancement. For most men, this vivaha-yajna should be encouraged

even by persons in the renounced order of life. Sannyasis should never

associate with women, but that does not mean that one who is in the lower

stages of life, a young man, should not accept a wife in the marriage

ceremony. All prescribed sacrifices are meant for achieving the Supreme

Lord. Therefore, in the lower stages, they should not be given up.

Similarly, charity is for the purification of the heart. If charity is given

to suitable persons, as described previously, it leads one to advanced

spiritual life.

 

Bg 16.1-3 T The Divine And Demoniac Natures

sri-bhagavan uvaca

abhayam sattva-samsuddhir

jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih

danam damas ca yajnas ca

svadhyayas tapa arjavam

 

ahimsa satyam akrodhas

tyagah santir apaisunam

daya bhutesv aloluptvam

mardavam hrir acapalam

 

tejah ksama dhrtih saucam

adroho nati-manita

bhavanti sampadam daivim

abhijatasya bharata

 

SYNONYMS

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;

abhayam--fearlessness; sattva-samsuddhih--purification of one's existence;

jnana--knowledge; yoga--of linking up; vyavasthitih--the situation;

danam--charity; damah ca--and controlling the mind; yajnah ca--and

performance of sacrifice; svadhyayah--study of Vedic literature;

tapah--austerity; arjavam--simplicity; ahimsa--nonviolence;

satyam--truthfulness; akrodhah--freedom from anger; tyagah--renunciation;

santih--tranquility; apaisunam--aversion to fault-finding; daya--mercy;

bhutesu--towards all living entities; aloluptvam--freedom from greed;

mardavam--gentleness; hrih--modesty; acapalam--determination; tejah--vigor;

ksama--forgiveness; dhrtih--fortitude; saucam--cleanliness; adrohah--freedom

from envy; na--not; ati-manita--expectation of honor; bhavanti--become;

sampadam--qualities; daivim--transcendental; abhijatasya--of one who is born

of; bharata--O son of Bharata.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,

cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of

sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence,

truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to

faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty

and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness,

freedom from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities,

O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.

 

PURPORT

 

In the beginning of the Fifteenth Chapter, the banyan tree of this

material world was explained. The extra roots coming out of it were compared

to the activities of the living entities, some auspicious, some

inauspicious. In the Ninth Chapter, also, the devas, or godly, and the

asuras, the ungodly, or demons, were explained. Now, according to Vedic

rites, activities in the mode of goodness are considered auspicious for

progress on the path of liberation, and such activities are known as daivi

prakrti, transcendental by nature. Those who are situated in the

transcendental nature make progress on the path of liberation. For those who

are acting in the modes of passion and ignorance, on the other hand, there

is no possibility of liberation. Either they will have to remain in this

material world as human beings, or they will descend among the species of

animals or even lower life forms. In this Sixteenth Chapter the Lord

explains both the transcendental nature and its attendant qualities and the

demoniac nature and its qualities. He also explains the advantages and

disadvantages of these qualities.

The word abhijatasya in reference to one born of transcendental qualities

or godly tendencies is very significant. To beget a child in a godly

atmosphere is known in the Vedic scriptures as Garbhadhana-samskara. If the

parents want a child in the godly qualities they should follow the ten

principles of the human being. In Bhagavad-gita we have studied also before

that sex life for begetting a good child is Krsna Himself. Sex life is not

condemned provided the process is used in Krsna consciousness. Those who are

in Krsna consciousness at least should not beget children like cats and dogs

but should beget them so that they may become Krsna conscious after birth.

That should be the advantage of children born of a father or mother absorbed

in Krsna consciousness.

The social institution known as varnasrama-dharma--the institution

dividing society into four divisions or castes--is not meant to divide human

society according to birth. Such divisions are in terms of educational

qualifications. They are to keep the society in a state of peace and

prosperity. The qualities mentioned herein are explained as transcendental

qualities meant for making a person progress in spiritual understanding so

that he can get liberated from the material world. In the varnasrama

institution the sannyasi, or the person in the renounced order of life, is

considered to be the head or the spiritual master of all the social statuses

and orders. A brahmana is considered to be the spiritual master of the three

other sections of a society, namely, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the

sudras, but a sannyasi, who is on the top of the institution, is considered

to be the spiritual master of the brahmanas also. For a sannyasi, the first

qualification should be fearlessness. Because a sannyasi has to be alone

without any support or guarantee of support, he has simply to depend on the

mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he thinks, "After I leave my

connections, who will protect me?" he should not accept the renounced order

of life. One must be fully convinced that Krsna or the Supreme Personality

of Godhead in His localized aspect as Paramatma is always within, that He is

seeing everything and that He always knows what one intends to do. One must

thus have firm conviction that Krsna as Paramatma will take care of a soul

surrendered to Him. "I shall never be alone," one should think. "Even if I

live in the darkest regions of a forest I shall be accompanied by Krsna, and

He will give me all protection." That conviction is called abhayam, without

fear. This state of mind is necessary for a person in the renounced order of

life. Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many rules and

regulations to be followed in the renounced order of life. Most important of

all, a sannyasi is strictly forbidden to have any intimate relationship with

a woman. He is even forbidden to talk with a woman in a secluded place. Lord

Caitanya was an ideal sannyasi, and when He was at Puri His feminine

devotees could not even come near to offer their respects. They were advised

to bow down from a distant place. This is not a sign of hatred for women as

a class, but it is a stricture imposed on the sannyasi not to have close

connections with women. One has to follow the rules and regulations of a

particular status of life in order to purify his existence. For a sannyasi,

intimate relations with women and possession of wealth for sense

gratification are strictly forbidden. The ideal sannyasi was Lord Caitanya

Himself, and we can learn from His life that He was very strict in regards

to women. Although He is considered to be the most liberal incarnation of

Godhead, accepting the most fallen conditioned souls, He strictly followed

the rules and regulations of the sannyasa order of the life in connection

with association with woman. One of His personal associates, namely Chota

Haridasa, was personally associated with Lord Caitanya along with His other

confidential personal associates, but somehow or other this Chota Haridasa

looked lustily on a young woman, and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He at

once rejected him from the society of His personal associates. Lord Caitanya

said, "For a sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches

of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature and

go back home, back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material possessions

and women for sense gratification--not even enjoying them, but just looking

toward them with such a propensity--is so condemned that he had better

commit suicide before experiencing such illicit desires." So these are the

processes for purification.

The next item is jnana-yoga-vyavasthiti: being engaged in the cultivation

of knowledge. Sannyasi life is meant for distributing knowledge to the

householders and others who have forgotten their real life of spiritual

advancement. A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door for his

livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a beggar. Humility is also one

of the qualifications of a transcendentally situated person, and out of

sheer humility the sannyasi goes from door to door, not exactly for the

purpose of begging, but to see the householders and awaken them to Krsna

consciousness. This is the duty of a sannyasi. If he is actually advanced

and so ordered by his spiritual master, he should preach Krsna consciousness

with logic and understanding, and if he is not so advanced he should not

accept the renounced order of life. But even if he has accepted the

renounced order of life without sufficient knowledge, he should engage

himself fully in hearing from a bona fide spiritual master to cultivate

knowledge. A sannyasi, or one in the renounced order of life, must be

situated in fearlessness, sattva-samsuddhi (purity) and jnana-yoga

(knowledge).

The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the householders. The

householders should earn a livelihood by an honorable means and spend fifty

percent of their income to propagate Krsna consciousness all over the world.

Thus a householder should give in charity to such institutional societies

that are engaged in that way. Charity should be given to the right receiver.

There are different kinds of charities, as will be explained later on,

charity in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Charity in the mode

of goodness is recommended by the scriptures, but charity in the modes of

passion and ignorance is not recommended because it is simply a waste of

money. Charity should be given only to propagate Krsna consciousness all

over the world. That is charity in the mode of goodness.

 

SB 8.20.9 P Bali Maharaja Surrenders the Universe

datavyam iti yad danam

diyate 'nupakarine

dese kale ca patre ca

tad danam sattvikam smrtam

 

"That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a

worthy person, and without expectation of return is considered to be charity

in the mode of goodness." Thus charity given in the proper place is called

sattvika. And above this charity in goodness is transcendental charity, in

which everything is sacrificed for the sake of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Vamanadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had come to Bali

Maharaja for alms. How could one get such an opportunity to give charity?

Therefore, Bali Maharaja decided without hesitation to give the Lord

whatever He wanted. One may get various opportunities to lay down his life

on the battlefield, but such an opportunity as this is hardly ever obtained.

 

SB 2.3.17 P Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

The materialistic way of pious activities like charity is recommended in

the smrti-sastras as quoted by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. Money

given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next

life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brahmana. If the money is

given in charity to a non-brahmana (without brahminical qualification) the

money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in

charity to a half-educated brahmana, even then the money is returned double.

If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brahmana,

the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times, and if the money is

given to a veda-paraga (one who has factually realized the path of the

Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication. The ultimate end of

Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, as

stated in the Bhagavad-gita (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). There is a

guarantee of money's being returned if given in charity, regardless of the

proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee

by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect

guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhama

gatva punar janma na vidyate. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is

guaranteed eternal life. A devotee's old age or disease in the present life

is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.

 

Bg 9.27 T The Most Confidential Knowledge

O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and

give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done

as an offering unto Me.

 

PURPORT

 

Thus, it is the duty of everyone to mold his life in such a way that he

will not forget Krsna in any circumstance. Everyone has to work for

maintenance of his body and soul together, and Krsna recommends herein that

one should work for Him. Everyone has to eat something to live; therefore he

should accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krsna. Any civilized man

has to perform some religious ritualistic ceremonies; therefore Krsna

recommends, "Do it for Me," and this is called arcana. Everyone has a

tendency to give something in charity; Krsna says, "Give it to Me," and this

means that all surplus money accumulated should be utilized in furthering

the Krsna consciousness movement. Nowadays people are very much inclined to

the meditational process, which is not practical in this age, but if anyone

practices meditating on Krsna twenty-four hours by chanting the Hare Krsna

mantra round his beads, he is surely the greatest yogi. as substantiated by

the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita.

 

1Bg 10.4-5 P The Opulence of the Absolute

As far as charity is concerned, one should give fifty percent of his earn

ings to some good cause. And what is a good cause? It is that which is

conducted in terms of Krsna consciousness. That is not only a good cause,

but it is the best cause. Because Krsna is good, His cause is also good.

Thus charity should be given to a person who is engaged in Krsna

consciousness. According to Vedic literature, it is enjoined that charity

should be given to the brahmanas. This practice is still followed, although

not very nicely in terms of the Vedic injunction. But still the injunction

is that charity should be given to the brahmanas. Why? Because they are

engaged in higher cultivation of spiritual knowledge. A brahmana is supposed

to devote his whole life to understanding Brahman. A brahma-jana is one who

knows Brahman; he is called a brahmana. Thus charity is offered to the

brahmanas because since they are always engaged in higher spiritual service,

they have no time to earn their livelihood. In the Vedic literature, charity

is also to be awarded to the renouncer of life, the sannyasi. The sannyasis

beg from door to door, not for money but for missionary purposes. The system

is that they go from door to door to awaken the householders from the

slumber of ignorance. Because the householders are engaged in family affairs

and have forgotten their actual purpose in life--awakening their Krsna

consciousness--it is the business of the sannyasis to go as beggars to the

householders and encourage them to be Krsna conscious. As it is said in the

Vedas, one should awake and achieve what is due him in this human form of

life. This knowledge and method is distributed by the sannyasis; hence

charity is to be given to the renouncer of life, to the brahmanas, and

similar good causes, not to any whimsical cause.

 

Bg 17.20 P The Divisions of Faith

In the Vedic literature, charity given to a person engaged in spiritual

activities is recommended. There is no recommendation for giving charity

indiscriminately. Spiritual perfection is always a consideration. Therefore

charity is recommended to be given at a place of pilgrimage and at lunar or

solar eclipses or at the end of the month or to a qualified brahmana or a

Vaisnava (devotee) or in temples. Such charities should be given without any

consideration of return. Charity to the poor is sometimes given out of

compassion, but if a poor man is not worth giving charity to, then there is

no spiritual advancement. In other words, indiscriminate charity is not

recommended in the Vedic literature.

 

SB 4.14.9 P The Story of King Vena

In Bhagavad-gita (18.5) it is stated that even in the renounced order one

should not give up sacrifice, charity and penance. The brahmacaris must

perform sacrifices, the grhasthas must give in charity, and those in the

renounced order of life (the vanaprasthas and sannyasis) must practice

penance and austerities. These are the procedures by which everyone can be

elevated to the spiritual platform.