Alms Giving Without Arrogance and Anger

[Guest guest]

ALMS GIVING WITHOUT ARROGANCE AND ANGER.

Baba: Nana,

to-day I will give you one more lesson.

NGC: Good.

Baba: Nana, If anyone comes and begs for anything give him as much as

you can, and if that person be not satisfied and asks for more, answer him

suavely in the negative. Do not pour your wrath or display all your official

authority against that person.

NGC: Good.

(But one day at

Kalyan Mrs. NGC was greatly provoked by the importunity of a beggar woman who

refused to budge unless she was given as charity the whole stock of ‘Bhajani’ (fried and spiced grains); and Mrs. NGC.

appealed to her husband, NGC came down and called out to the peon to neck out

the beggar unless she quietly accepted the quantity given and left the house.

Sometime late NGC visited Shirdi, but baba was glum

and would not talk to him.

NGC: Baba, why

do you not talk to me?

Baba: How can I

talk to one who does not care for my advice or lesson?

NGC: What lesson

have I forgotten? I remembered all your lessons.

Baba: That day,

when the beggar woman was importuning you for ‘Bhajani’,

how did you happen to call your peon to expel her and to show all your official authority. What

mattered, if she remained sitting your door, asking for more, while refused it?

What could she do? After a while she would have gone away. Instead of gently

replying her, why get angry with her and call the peon to expel her?

(Source Sai Baba Charters and

Sayings)

http://www.saileelas.org/books/babasayings.htm