The King's lesson on charity

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The King's lesson on charity

 

Tale to Understand the Importance of Absence of Niggardliness in

One's Life!

 

A person was advised by a holy man to gift a vegetable a day and told

that he would attain great merit by doing so.

 

The poor man strictly followed the advice. After death, he was reborn

in a royal family and grew up to become a king.

 

He was able to recall what he had done in his past birth. So, he

continued to gift a vegetable a day.

 

Surprisingly, after death, he was reborn as a beggar.

 

The man was unable to comprehend the reason and so sought the advice

of the holy man who had earlier blessed him.

 

From the sage, he learnt that prior to becoming a king he had been

very poor and so a gift of a vegetable a day was sufficient to give

him a lot of virtue.

 

On the other hand, as a king he was endowed with affluence. So,

thereafter, the gift of just a vegetable a day was quite insufficient

to earn him merit of any consequence.

 

The person realized that the extent of charity needed to earn a

certain degree of merit depends upon one's financial status!!

 

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SPIRITUAL COMMENTARY

 

Maharishi Gautma has spoken of eight 'Atma Gunas' or personal

qualities that every individual should cultivate.

 

They help a man to enjoy mental peace and happiness. They also give

rise to virtue and so their benefits are not confined to the present

life.

 

Further, if people strive to cultivate these, the world will become a

happier place.

 

The seventh ordained quality is 'Absence of niggardliness'. The

tendency to hoard and not part with anything in charity is the result

of greed.

 

Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita has spoken of desire, anger and greed

as the triple gates of hell. Hoarding will never benefit us and when

we die, we cannot take our wealth with us.

 

Neelakanta Deekshitar has humorously advised, " If you are keen that

even after death you should not be parted with your wealth and that

you should carry it with you in a bundle on your head then give it to

the deserving " .

 

Currency notes cannot be taken to the next world. On the other hand,

if a miser converts them into virtue by performing charity, he need

not fear that he will lose them after death. After all, virtuewill

accompany him to the next world.

 

The scriptures prescribe the giving of gifts to the deserving as an

antidote for greed. So, charity, apart from bringing about happiness

in others, greatly conduces to the spiritual well being of the donor.

 

A person who loses some money feels unhappy. But he feels happy, not

sad, when he voluntarily gives the same amount to a poor student who

is not in a position to pay his examination fees. Charity can thus

make not only the donee happy but also the donor!

 

Thus absence of Niggardliness is a supreme quality one must try to

practise for his own evolution and also to keep others around him

happy as other's blessings that comes from a true heart is a true

blessing for us to have a fulfilled and contented life at every

stage!!

 

" If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one. " - Mother

Teresa.

 

" You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when

you give of yourself that you truly give. " - Kalil Gibran

 

" The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is

capable of receiving.. " - Albert Einstein

 

" Do not stand on a high pedestal and take 5 cents in your hand and

say, " here, my poor man " , but be grateful that the poor man is there,

so by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself.

 

It is not the reciever that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be

thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence

and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect. " -

Swami.Vivekananda..

 

" Giving is most blessed and most acceptable when the donor remains

completely anonymous " - Anonymous.