prasada to poor people; some relevant quotes

[Guest guest]

The mahatmas have shown the perfect path of charity: devotional service to

the Lord. If anyone ignores this path and instead builds hospitals, his

effort to help humanity is a mere pretense. Humanity can never reap any

permanent advantage from such activities. Indeed, the number of patients

only increases along with the number of hospitals. And as for feeding the

poor, this will never eradicate poverty, but encourage it. Frankly

speaking, we are not against opening hospitals or feeding the poor, or any

other such humanitarian service. But what we have learned from our beloved

spiritual master is that when devotional service to the Lord is neglected,

every other activity is illusory and futile. Without genuine devotional

service, even opening hospitals and feeding the poor in the name of Lord

Krsna is futile. From Renunciation Through Wisdom

 

from Renunciation Through Wisdom pps.102-103: The neophyte Vaisnava

devotee's ringing the bell even once during worship of the Deity of the

Supreme Lord is a million times more valuable, spiritually and otherwise,

than the charitable fruitive workers building many hospitals, feeding

thousands of the poor, or building homes, or even the empirical

philosophers' Vedic studies, meditation, austerities, and penances.

 

We shall offer such help (food, clothes etc.) to whoever has got faith in

God and who has begun service of God. We should feed and clothe the needy

and do them other benefits in order to make them serve Hari. Otherwise,

what is the use of nourishing a snake with milk and bananas? That is not

kindness, rather it entraps men in maya. (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Thakura)

 

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The following essay appeared in BTG Vol. 3 Part 4 (1956) under the title,

"Human Welfare activities."

 

 

 

We met the other day the founder of one human welfare society and we have

been pleased to see the plan. And we suggested a little more improvement on

it by the method of keeping all the items of plans etc. in touch with the

plannings of Bhagwat Geeta. The whole theme of the Bhagwat Geeta is to do

everything in relation with the wish of the Supreme Lord. Arjuna was

sufficiently educated in the matters of politics, sociology, family affairs,

education and all that is required for human welfare but he was lacking in

the sense of the service for the Supreme Lord. So far Arjuna was personally

concerned he was quite cognizant all about it but he assumed the role of a

common man who did not know how to work in the plan and desire of the Lord.

That was the beginning of Bhagwat Geeta.

 

Arjuna pretended to become a pious man and desired to be non-violent good

man without doing the painful act of bloodshed in the battlefield. Such

pious attitude without knowing the desire of the Supreme Lord was condemned

by Shri Krishna. He described such pseudo-pious attitude as befitting a

non-Aryan person. Therefore to become pious, to become non-violent and to

have all such good qualities are judged in terms of the purpose of service.

 

A small boy, without knowing the effect of his pious activity, gave to his

ailing brother some pieces of Parumtha as his brother asked for it. The

ailing brother was suffering from typhoid fever and as he was a child, he

asked his younger brother to give the Paramtha. The younger brother without

knowing the result of his charitable work gave Paramtha to the suffering

brother and when the whole thing was disclosed to the mother the charitable

younger brother was severely punished by the mother. This is our practical

experience. So simply to do charitable work without knowing the effect of it

is to do it in the mode of ignorance. So far charities, penances and

sacrifices are concerned they are all also of three qualities. Charity done

in full cognizance of the authoritative injunctions is called Swattik or in

goodness. Charity done with a purpose for getting something in return is

called Rajasik or in the mode of passion. Charity done in darkness without

knowing the effect of such charities or doing it under some superior

pressure or request is called Tamasik or in the mode of ignorance. The same

routine is prescribed for other good work also. Therefore Tamasik charity

and Swattik charity are two different items. One leads to degradation while

the other leads to elevation. Therefore simple charity, penance and

sacrifices may not be always good without a descriptive and discriminative

knowledge.

 

Human welfare activities with full scientific knowledge of it will certainly

elevate the status of human society. The aim of welfare activity must be

first of all ascertained. Sreemad Bhagwatam has discussed in many places

about the aim of life. Does the aim of life mean to live for a number of

long years? The Bhagwat says no it is not such. Because so far life is

concerned, the life of some tree is far far longer than a human being. The

longest duration of life of a human being is not more than 100 years. But in

the vegetable kingdom some trees live more than one thousand years. A human

being will answer that the tree may live for one thousand years but the

signs of life are absent there. The main sign of life is breathing. The

Bhagwat in answer to this will say that there are many many big bellows

which can breathe more vehemently. So breathing is no special qualification.

There are beasts who can produce more children than the human being. They

also eat according to the standard of life. Therefore according to Bhagwat

which is practical commentation on the Vedanta Sutra-the aim of life should

be only to hear the message of the Supreme Lord wherein only lies all the

sum total welfare of human society.

 

In the Bhagwat Geeta the ultimate instruction is to surrender unto the will

of the Supreme Lord and in that manner the surrendered soul is protected by

all means by the Lord from all sorts of frailties possible in human life.

 

Arjuna understood the principle and he changed his decision of leaving the

battlefield. Therefore to know the Supreme Lord and to know our relation

with the Lord eternally existent does not mean to give up all material

activities. But to know Him, our relation with Him and our duties to Him is

the highest knowledge. And to impart this knowledge to one and all is the

highest welfare activity in the human society.

 

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