DIVINE ADVICE ON ALMS GIVING

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DIVINE ADVICE – ALMS GIVING

Charity or alms giving is stressed in every religion as also in the Hindu

scriptures as stated already. Yet as very few understood and practise it

correctly, Baba had to give Nana Saheb Chandorkar instructions on Dana to

reduce Lobha, Moha and Mada especially through increasing contact with God.

The first advice was that alms giving should be straight forward. No one when

asked for alms should utter falsehood and say "I have not got it" (the money or

other things prayed for), when he has got it, but only decline to give it in

polite terms and say that circumstances do not allow the giving. No crooked

ways should be adopted. Yet after this advice was given, some time later Nana,

who had promised to pay Rs. 300 for charity to be done at the Kopergaon Datta

temple, did not bring the money and therefore avoided a visit to the temple,

which was on his way to Shirdi. He, with the approval of his friend, took a

detour through a very thorny path, as a result of which he and his friend ran

thorns in their bodies. When they reached Shirdi, Baba would not talk to them.

Nana Chandorkar: Why don’t you talk with me?

Baba: Nana, when a man says he will remember the lessons I taught him but really

does not, how can I talk to him?

Nana Chandorkar: Baba, I remember all your lessons.

Baba: You gentleman, you evade seeing ‘sircar’ (God Datta) and take

a detour. Why? Because the saint will ask for Rs.300/- is this the way to

remember my lesson? If you have not the money, if it was not easy to arrange to

get it, you have only to tell him that fact. Will the saint eat you? But what

device is this, to avoid the temple of God for fear of the saint demanding

money? Well then, have not thorns pierced your feet and body and the posterior

part of your sapient friend? How can I talk to such a person?

Again Baba advised Nana to give his alms without any arrogance or anger and that

if any beggar was not pleased and wanted more, then the beggar should be

answered suavely. Wrath and official authority should not be flung at him. Nana

thought this quite easy. But on one occasion when his wife was being pestered at

Kalyan by a Brahmin beggar woman, who was not content with one-eighth of a

measure, one-fourth of a measure, one-half of a measure, or one measure, or

even 2 measures of Bhajani (Poriarisiporikollu) i.e., fried and seasoned rice

and who threatened not to leave the house (at all) till the whole stock of four

measures in the possession of the lady was handed over to her, Nana’s wife

lost patience and sent for her husband. Nana came and gave it hot to the beggar

woman. ‘Either you take what is given or the peon will neck you

out’, he stiffly remarked. Then the beggar woman left.

When later Nana went to Baba, Baba again refused to talk to him. "Mitra Dandam

Abhashanam" is the well known saying. That means: - The way to punish a friend

is by refusing to talk to him. When Nana asked for an explanation, Baba said,

‘You forgot the lesson I gave. When that beggar woman was importuning you

for more and more Bhajani, why did you show your anger and official authority,

and threaten to neck her out? What mattered it if you suavely refused to give

more? The woman would have remained for some time longer and left of her own

accord’.

Nana recognized that this mysteriously overwatching guardian Angel of his was

watching him every moment and anticipating the temptations and evils that would

befall him, and that he should be more careful in carrying out his

(Baba’s) instructions. Thus, Lobha by leading to arrogance, insolence

etc., in Nana was put down by Baba, and Nana recognized more and more what true

‘Dana’ was. True Dana is thus described in Bhagavad Gita.

Datavyam Iti yat Danam

Diyate Anupakarine

Dese Kalecha Patrecha

Tad Danam Satvikam Smritam.

The beggar is not to be treated as a nuisance or as contemptible individual.

According to Hindu religion, the beggar is God Himself. You have to treat him

as Narayana, coming to you to give you an opportunity to serve him. So, the

gift to the beggar must be with due respect and not with contempt or insolence.

The above stanza means: The gift must be at the proper place, at the proper

time, and to the proper person. It must be given with the idea, ‘It is my

duty to give this. I claim no particular merit in giving it. The gift must not

be for a consideration or with a view to reward or recompense. This is satvic

dana.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Coimbatore-641025, India)