द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ राजन् स्वर्गस्योपरि तिष्ठतः ।
प्रभुश्च क्षमया युक्तो दरिद्रश्च प्रदानवान् ॥
- विदुरनीति
O king! These two people surpass even heaven - a master associated with forgiveness (and) an impoverished who is giving.
(And therefore maybe I bow to the people of my village)
That richness that allows us to give away all riches ...
To have enough for two meals, and enough to share with another who is hungry. To have healthy, normal children. To not be sucked into evil like excessive greed, or envy. This should make us deliriously happy.
And strengthen us into moving out of self absorbtion into service.
4 Comments
Archana PrasadThakur itna dijiye, jaa mein kutumb samaye
Main bhi bhookha na rahoon, koi atithi na bhookha jaye
- ·
Reply
- ·
See Translation
- · 6y
Aparna Krishnanyes
And anything the Thakur goves over that is given to us to distribute.
Archana PrasadI learnt from your village stories that whatever little Thakur gives, is enough to share with others..irrespective. ..
In India there is no charity. No philanthrophy.
Daanam is Dharmam. A duty.
The pancha mahayagnas are the duties to be performed daily. Giving to all creation. Because the creation sustains us.
Every village lives by this understanding. Doing its duty of giving in silence. Grateful to the receiver for the opportuny to give.
To call it charity. Or to celebrate the giving. Is to reduce it from its essential essence. Dharmam.
when sankaracharya was doing bikshatana there was a rich man who was doing his dharma and the house was thronged by many help seekers, but he went to a humble house at the next door and took what ever little was offered. The man came running to shankara begging him to explain why he has not taken any aid, shankara replied saying how can I accept aid from a person who has stored so much when the village is in poverty.
When we give to a begger do we realize the deep humility we need to give with ?
He is already dying within himself, to have to extend his hand out to ask. We will never know why he had to.
The power to give of ones disappearing rice, facing possible hunger, is the power of the gods.
... found in every village.
Even when we talk of giving, we make two sweeping assumptions.
1. Our assests are rightfully ours.
2. We are the 'giver'.
To transcend both these is essential.
Giving is a way of life. In this soil.
A duty. Embedded in the understanding of god and dharmam.
Done. Unspoken of, unthought of even.
Done. With only gratitude at having been able to do it.
Done. And forgotten the moment it is done.
Eashwaramma, landkess, assetless, poorer than poor. Giving two sacks of rice to the temple for annadaanam from her earnings at agricultural labour. To feed all.
Because it is Dharmam.
Chinapaapamma giving rice to the stranger at the door. Asking for rice. Because he asks. Unheeding that it is drought time, and rice stocks are dwindling.
Because it is Dharmam.
The auto driver. Who every morning brings two vessel s of sambar ricevin his auto. To feed all the street dogs and cats, his friends. Without fail.
Because it is Dharmam.
Dharmam. In understanding this alone can one understand the soul of India.
Dharmam. From the root Dhr. Thst which sustains.
One hears of charity. Of philanthropy. Of giving away 20% of one's assets. Of giving away 50% of one's assets.
Giving that much that cuts into our own survival. Simply.
Seen that. In home after home.
Giving, without giving it a name, simply because it needs to be done. Giving unselfconsciously, and forgetting the act before it was completed. Simply.
Seen that. In home after home.
Paalaguttapalle Dalitwada
Charity, I have been told, breeds laziness, and criminals !
In Dalitwada, Eashwaramma and Chinapaapakka gives respectfully to every mendicant who calls out, 'Bhavati bhiksham dehi'. They say that is dharmam to give - and do not worry if the hungry mendicant may turn lazy or criminal !
Aparna Krishnan I learn from the people of my village. Of how high the bar can get. Lessons which are lived teach like nonthng else can.
It is not only giving in silence, not even thinking of the giving.
It is also giving out of ones bare sustenance. Giving away ones tomorrows. A giving that we will never even understand. Given our million privileges.
I watch in awe.
There is the well known story. Of how a man comes upon a sanyasi with a purse of money someone had given him. He demands it, and the sanyasi gives it to him with a smile and a blessing, and moves on empty handed.
And two days later the man comes searching for him, seeking him, and places all the money before him, "I dont want this. Give me that wealth which allowed you to give this away so freely."
I have recollected that story so many time last two decades. That is the samewealth I have seeked from my friends and neighbours in the village.
That courage that allows them to share their last glass of rice, without worrying about their own meal tomorrow. Even in drought.
The root of that courage. That faith. That strength.
Annasamy Anna told me that there are two kinds of people.
Those who close the doors when they eat so that the hungry bikshudu (not begger ... there is no such demeaning term in Telugu) cannot see us or be seen
and
Those who keep the doors wide open so that they can look out for any hungry soul to call in to feed.
I wondered to myself how many times I had been part of the first set, and how many times part of the second.
Azim Premji has
committed more money to charity. My respects. We all need to learn.
And yet, I have seen
far greater.
Every poor village.
Gives out of its small stock of rice at home. To those in greater need. Seeking
at their doors.
Stakeing their own
rice for the next day.
Not calling it
charity. Or philanthropy. Just seeing it as a simple duty. Also called dharmam.
Done in silence. Forgotten of, before the act is completed.
That
is the ethos of this land
My understanding is different.
Giving is done in silence. And quietness. That giving carries power. Transformative power.
As for that theory that when it is brought under the limelight it can inspire, no. It is that service that also does not seek, and also avoids name and fame that inspires. And transforms.
My neighbour Eashwarmamma. Landless. Illiterate. Living on coolie labour. Gives as sack of rice for annadaanam. Feeds every hungry soul at her one roomed house doorstep. Even when her own stocks are only for a day more.
In my understanding, that giving is greater than anything we all can give, who give of our surplus.
Her giving, and that of all my village people, done is unselfconscious spontaneity is something that is done as nitya Dharmam. Duty.
To award it, is to lower it.
There is something called Covid Warriors award. People are seeking votes for themselves.
People are giving numbers of how many 'migrants' they 'helped'.
The fall is total. The fall into endless ego.
Service is done in silence. Service is a duty. Extending a hand deserves no applause.
Service is done do quietly they neither the giver or receiver carries the memory. Nor the burden.
Service is done in silent invisibility. In gratitude for the opportunity. And forgotten the moment it is done.
Anything more is a business transaction.
I understand the sentiment behind your post. But in these times, people posting about what they’re doing has given their work visibility which has helped them get the funds they didn’t have to begin with. A friend, through her fundraising efforts, was able to donate a ventilator to a hospital in Bangalore.
I know of one person who has been nominated for this Covid Warrior award. He started very small with his own funds but once people came to know of the work he was doing, funds started pouring in and he was able to he help way more people than he could have with his own funds.
I personally am not helping the migrants. So I will cheer those who are.
Service is done quietly. And the ripples of that selfless service can alone make huge waves.
It gets noticed in small spaces and changes the heart of the viewer as no award ceremony can.
Aparna
: I completely agree with you.
When I wrote to a friend who helps the village when there is a crisis, that I never have never thanked him, he replied, "And never should you, We all are mediums and meant to play our parts and fade away. Amen."
...
My friend has been supporting the village work year after year. Her son has also been contributing his pocket money. She never told me as he did not want it told, I got to know some months ago.
A child with good values. The ability to give, and the ability to give in silence.
Today I got a distraught letter from her. His college admissions.
They want a note of his 'social work'. The child has spent many nights every winter distributing blankets on Delhi streets. She says, 'What proof can there be of that. Will I photograph him giving blankets to the poor ?'
This is how goodness is destroyed in these times. At the alter of progress.
Name, fame, trappings. Encouraged. Fed. Nourished.
Higher values, quieter values. Wait in the wings.
Aparna
-ji, the dharma world and the CSR world will rarely meet and even if they do, it is on the terms of the CSR world. but that is ok for the other world doesn't care about it
sraddhaya deyam | Give with Faith,
asraddhaya'deyam | Give not without Faith;
shriya deyam | Give in Plenty,
hriya deyam | Give with Modesty,
bhiya deyam | Give with Awe,
samvida deyam | Give with Sympathy.
The only giving that counts.
I see posts on philanthropists. I see books on them. Wealthy people who give away 50% their wealth, 90% of their wealth. It is honourable. But the remaining 50% and 10% of their remaining wealth sustains them.
There is a small village of landless agricultural labourers. I know them very well. They usually have only quarter of a sack of rice at home. No savings. No assurance of work in drought times that can enable them to buy more rice.
And they give two glasses of those 10 glasses away to the mendicant at the hut door.
They give away their security. The ability to feed their children beyond a week. Without thought. And forgetting the giving, the moment it is done.
What percentage can be placed on such giving ?
It is here that infinitude is seen. And the eyes lower in prayer.
In one word. About all giving.
I think the essence is how people think about it - Thinking of it as giving is very different from thinking of it as duty.
There was a post admiring some country that was introducing acts of kindness. Instead of class tests.
Sounds good. On the face of it. But it is the most unwise thing to do. To associate good deeds to assessment.
Goodness is done for its own sake. Dharmam is followed because it is that which sustains. (The word comes from the root Dhr, that which sustains.)
Goodness is done in silence. Humility. Each act to be done in the awareness that one us not the doer.
These are things that only a community can teach. A community rooted in values, in Dharmam. That lives these values. In simplicity.
A school cannot teach what only a community can.
These are the lessons that my village taught me.
Comments
They did not assess the kindness.
Is it showcased ? Admired.
Daanam is to be done is unselfconscious humility. Unmentioned, unheralded. Even to oneself.
That is the living reality in every village.
Not even showcased. Just used to reflect
My daughters comment on this thread - Something is better than nothing
!
She is very wise
Reflection, unless properly undertaken, can backfire too. Perhaps better to emphasize that giving is unconditional, essential and the natural state of an unconditioned child and of a happy, secure mind.
If we need to emphasize that,
Gayathri Nair
,then perhaps it is no longer so, na? Also, how often do we encounter a happy, secured mind in today's urban middle & upper middle classes? It would seem like that is the precondition for such giving, no?
Yes, that is the problem. In my humble opinion, conventional schooling itself can create deep-seated insecurities.
Venkat Krishnan N
in the process of encourageing giving the essentials cannot be forsaken. Giving in humility, in silence, as a duty.
Religion teaches this. Hinduism,Sikhism, Islam. And others also I expect. And many follow it.
It is those processes that we need to tune into. If we create our own, in own own lack of understanding, we will fail.
They are living processes, the practices of real daanam.
I believe in all the principles you enunciate, but don't feel the need for it to be rooted in religion
Venkat Krishnan N
in my years, in this land, I have seen daanam and Dharmam go hand in hand.
That is the civilizational ethos. Ours to accept and work with it. Or to reject it.
I see temples, remote and unknown, practice annadaanam. All fed irrespective of caste and class. Sustained by community efforts.
That is what I would seek to tune into, work with, strengthen. Because that is the language of my land.
Gayathri Nair
When 'giving' itself is endangered, 'unconditional giving' is a far of dream. We simply can not expect our child to do something that we don't practice in our life.
Aparna Krishnan
- Dharmam as in duty is also a principle I relate to deeply. And I am not AGAINST religion at all- in fact all religions in their PURE form are extremely uplifting for they strive towards the same goal- helping us become better human beings and learning to overcome the "self". My limited point is that it is possible to follow ALL these principles even while remaining atheist. And understanding that atheism is not at all necessary for people to be good human beings
! That is the real plurality of India
But at a societal level in this land, religion has played a vast role. And is playing in village after village.
And that is what I would choose to tune in for societal intervention.
Thats all my submission is.
I have no doubt about that. People are so deeply attuned to religion that one has to use it as the vehicle for any social change. EVEN among the highly educated urban people.
This land is religious. The very soil is spiritual.
It is not about 'using it'. It is about understanding it. Bowing to it.
Also, "EVEN among the highly educated urban people." ... does that imply that an educated creature is a wiser creature ?
In my experience, the more educated ( in the modern sense of the word) the more alienated from roots, and more lost to the understandings that really matter ...
it implies exactly the opposite (the educated are more likely to have disdain for religion, but in India even they are rooted in religion).
Moden education is designed to create a disdain for one's gods, ones roots. Many succumb. That despite it it survives in many shows the very nature of the land. The air and the soil are spiritual.
Palanivelu Sir, I didn't suggest that we must expect our child to give unconditionally. I think it is better to expect very little, but we are free to share with them our reflections on the nature of Giving.
Gayathri Nair
I just mean to say that children are not so appealed by words than the living models.
VK, my own understanding is that Hinduism is not a religion inasmuch as it isn't a prescribed path to the Divine. As I understand, it is the incredibly profound and eclectic compilation of the evolved ideas of a most ancient civilization striving to find a sustainable foundation for its existence and holistic prosperity. This civilization discovered that rational judgement, truthfulness and compassion are such a sound foundation for both personal and collective being. It discovered that it is possible to transcend the intellect through sufficient diligence, and that the state thereby attained is sublime, One that we might elevate and idolize in every aspect of our social life as a Divine condition. It appears to have realized that every earnest pursuit can culminate in that higher Condition, even the path of denying the existence of such an Existence (Naastika)! Therefore it composed hymns to that Realization, and posited that this Realization is the highest goal of any pursuit.
I see very little religiosity or irrational practice in any of this, which is, in essence, our "Faith"- the faith in an aesthetic rationalism, if you will pardon the expression.
I also think that Dharmam is not correctly translated as "Duty", let alone a religious one. To me, Dharmam is the course of action, or the course of discerning and embracing correct action after minute contemplation, for the greatest welfare of the whole world. Again, I find nothing religious about this Samskrt term that has no exact equivalent in a non-indigenous language that I am aware of.
Palanivelu Rangasamy
I think that I just realized another import to your words- namely, a chastisement for not myself being a giving person, while preaching generosity to others. If I am mistaken, please forgive me. If not, please consider that everyone has limited resources with which to be generous, so they must be selective; and secondly, that you know this "friend" very little to form any judgement of their generosity.
When I read this post I couldn't help thinking of some phrases that i have heard repeated in my childhood - needhi-nermai venum, nyayam-dharmame illa avan kitta, kashtam-sukam ellam sagichukkanum, pechu-vaarthai meerakkoodathu, paavam-punyam paakanum, poi-punaisurutuu romba agidichu, saami-boodamnu oru bayam venum, daanam-dharmam pannanum - not sure if these are still in use.
There is a programme called the Joy of Giving Week.
To understand the roots of Giving we need to return to the soil of this land.
In this land, away from the glass and metal cities, giving is a daily duty, lived by.
My village. Where giving is a dharmam done daily, unselfconsciously, humbly. With gratitude.
Every mendicant is fed in my village, itself lacking work and food. My neighbour, Eashwaramma, herself lacking food, goes and for coolie and gives 2 sacks of rice at the ashram for annadaanam for all.
The swami in the ashram explains that all have to give, as all are blessed, with rain and sunshine, by the god.
In our scriptures also the pancha mahayagnas are defined. Daily givings.
People on this land live in that daily giving.
Than that is the Truth we need understand, tune into, and work with. To reiterate, strengthen.
The ashrams and the Eashwarmmas are whom we need to learn from. And whom we need to live by.
They are the ones who teach us the Meaning of Giving. Eternally.
Does charity have an honorable connotation ? Daanam did, does.
Or is it seen as 'unsustainable' ?
4Chitra Sharan, Gangadharan Kumar and 2 others
Comments
I was reading, forget talking about one's good deeds, being present in a place where one is praised itself is a sin ... Charity brings fame, Daanam is based on not talking about one's good deeds. Obviously these days Charity triumphs over Daanam.
Chitra Sharan
in a world where every other unsustainable practice and disparity exists unchallenged, to question the unsustainability of daanam is rather odd ... on the contrary it should be demanded.
Yes, other frameworks can also abd should also be built ...
Perhaps the roots of charity in religion and love are far closer to a villager sharing their last rice than they are to the corporate industry that calls itself charity and thrives by allowing the rich to enjoy their wealth with a 'clear' conscience.
"If someone wants to give it should be done immediately.
It's like that Karna's story. Apparently he gave with his left hand. And when someone told him that he shouldn't use his left hand, Karna replied that by the time the money moves from the left to the right hand, the mind will ask many questions - "Shoud you give so much ?", " Should you give it to this person ?" ... and put a stop.
Never delay giving. " - a friend.
Some schools seem to be giving credits, marks, for 'social work'. Colleges seem to be looking for these credits.
Another madness unleashed..
The surest way to destroy genuineness and potential good in a child is this.
Service is that which is done in silence, in humility, in gratitude.
It is not a token of exchange. That is business.
23Lavanya Lakshmanan, Sunanda Surya and 21 others
Comments
Baah. What's the point then.
I think its fine. The ultimate goal is to teach and ensure that the under-privileged are giving a helping hand.
I have had a convent education and the first time I volunteered was when my teachers told me what we would do, why its important and how it would help them. From organizing regular evening classes for the kids from brick kiln, to visiting an old age home and leprosy medical home, these helped me learn and develop empathy. We had no marks for it but I did learn about life in those years.
Now when most kids are busy with smartphones, encouraging them for marks is all fine
Cannot agree more with Samrat on this. I also had a strong convent education and I recall volunteering from the age of 4 - it just became part of our everyday schedules. Most human being seek validation and/ or for others to hear them ( thats why we post on social media, in the first place) . If giving a child appreciation for being a better human being will result in social good, what can the harm be ?
if you give credit d make it mandatory.is it appreciation?
i would have agreed with you Aparna but years ago I remember as part of my own work I had to supervise school kids who were made to volunteer at a nearby basti. I recall students asking questions and talking about all that they had not realised. So at least for some becoming more sensitive or at least aware of the problems of others is a good thing.
Means alone is the end. Sometimes.
credit volunteer is more a headache for ngo. We have to spend more time, more energy with those who don't want to. Many a time we end up catering to their need than the other way. Or like many things they just ask for certificate and done with it.
I have seen how a village inculcates giving. In humility. Thro lived examples of elders.
To give marks for giving. To give name and fame for giving. Is to make it a business.
Sorry, the way things are done is as important as what is done.
The right steps rooted in humility. AmAnitvam, Adhambatvam. Ch 13, BG. Essential.
Thst is where religion plays a role. These details have been thought out of in all the spiritual wisdom of the world.
Sraddhaya deyam ;asraddhaya adeyam; sriya deyam;
hriya deyam; bhiya deyam ; samvida deyam
'Give with sraddha; give not without sraddha; give with abundence; give with modesty; give with fear(that what you give may be too small for the purpose);give with understanding.'
-- Taittiriya Upanishad, Shikshavali
The opportunity to give is the greatest of opportunities. In our culture.
In the village, when they give, they give with gratitude. With respect. With the generosity that is attained only by them giving away from their bare essentials.
From their small stock of rice, they give generously to the mendicant who asks at the door.
That giving become sahajam, simple and natural, is the need. Shorn of the word 'giving' or 'charity'.
As in every village home, to every needy person. In drought and in good times.
It is simply called Dharmam. A duty.
There have been some turning points in my life. They come silently. But turn thinking upside down. In permanent ways.
One was when we went to the Tellagundlapalle temple, and Eashwaramma told the temple swami that she wanted to give two 25kg sacks of rice for annadaanam. To feed the hungry. She said she would give as soon as she gets her pension this month. She get 1000/- pm disability pension as she is blind in one eye.
She had already given a sack recently.
She lives on coolie work. She is landless and assetless. She is sole provider for her two small orphaned grandchildren. Her husband is also dead.
Real change happens well outside the realm of NGOs and funding.
It happens in the realm of people, and their collective strength, financial and ethical.
And after Eashwaramma had seated and fed the two ladies who came asking for food, I asked her, "What was their kulam, Eashwaramma ?". Just curious about who came to an SC community to ask for food.
She laughed, "When one feeds someone who is hungry, does one ask their kulam ? One says 'sit, eat well', and feeds them to ones best ability."
The daily rituals of giving. Enjoined on each of us.
Across various scriptures, in various languages, in various sampradayas.
And so Eashwaramma, illiterate and landless, also gives a sack of rice for annadaanam.
And the swami of the ashram takes it.
He tells me, "Each of us is given the sun and the rain. each of us has to return to the universe."
India holds truths far deeper than just some divisions of oppressed and oppressor.
Each one accepts their blessings, and accepting the rinam, repays to their ability. To the universe.
Indian culture is to feed people. And to feel deeply satisfied at that. Long ago when after a long trudge, I was returning home hungry , I passed the village postman's home in the next village Vallivedu. The wife insisted I come into their one roomed hut, sat me and insisted I eat. Then she did not let me lift the plate, saying that it was her duty.
A simple act, but that has stayed with me down the decades. Maybe it is because I was that hungry that day, and I still remember thinking that there was no food at home, and I would need to go, light a fire and start cooking after reaching back ... . Some memories are almost physical. Maybe it also transformed me into a better person, and maybe I have learnt to give more and to more people since I met that lady that day.
I have only faced more of such spontaenity in the village as years rolled by. And I have realised that the effects of these acts could be far vaster than we think, as they transform concsiousness. What we are is because of each such act that gently shaped us - very gently, but very firmly.
In the west they say there is no free lunch. Here it is the opposite
What I have seen in villages is an essential dignity, and a deep generosity. That dignity may never be undermined - in any intervention.
When pictures are posted of poor children with food packets, something rebels within one. When many are sitting together at a langar there is a dignity.
The giver has a right to give only that which he can give with the deepest humility, and with a gratitude that he could give.
To have the heart to give, and also the awareness that one is not the giver.
To have the heart to give, and the opportunity to give is not given to all.
It needs Grace.
Giving gives the giver the strength to give more.
"Acche kaam karne mein deri nahin honi chaahiye."
I remember a post during the Chennai floods.
"I will post no picture of people receiving things. I will only post pictures of the provisions bought. Of medicines bought. Stacked in the room. Only those who wish to give may give"
I transferred money there immediately. I am sure many others did.
This is the only morally valid position
Disciple, "Guru, I want to serve society."
Guru, "Remove the I, service will follow."
Never more needed than in times where so called service to society is followed by pictures of the so called donor and the so called donee.
"It's like that Karna's story - if someone wants to give it should be done immediately. Apparently he gave with his left hand and when someone said you shouldn't use left hand, Karna is supposed to have said, by the time the money moves from left to right, mind will ask questions - should you give so much, should you give it to this person etc etc and stop you. Never delay giving. " - a friend.
The finest of books in ayurveda have been written by writers who did not care to mention thair names. Texts that for their depth and detail have lasted centuries. And will last forever.
The best offerings are made when the doer has gone beyond desiring to seek name and credit.
There is something called Covid Warriors award. People are seeking votes for themselves.
People are giving numbers of how many 'migrants' they 'helped'.
The fall is total. The fall into endless ego.
Service is done in silence. Service is a duty. Extending a hand deserves no applause.
Service is done do quietly they neither the giver or receiver carries the memory. Nor the burden.
Service is done in silent invisibility. In gratitude for the opportunity. And forgotten the moment it is done.
Anything more is a business transaction.
Mamatha BalasubramanianI understand the sentiment behind your post. But in these times, people posting about what they’re doing has given their work visibility which has helped them get the funds they didn’t have to begin with. A friend, through her fundraising efforts, was able to donate a ventilator to a hospital in Bangalore.
I know of one person who has been nominated for this Covid Warrior award. He started very small with his own funds but once people came to know of the work he was doing, funds started pouring in and he was able to he help way more people than he could have with his own funds.
I personally am not helping the migrants. So I will cheer those who are.
Aparna KrishnanService is done quietly. And the ripples of that selfless service can alone make huge waves.
It gets noticed in small spaces and changes the heart of the viewer as no award ceremony can.
No comments:
Post a Comment