Question & Answer sessions with HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – 2015
Annadanam ~ Share Your Food
Question :
What is the significance of charity? Different donations are given, such as land, gold, cow, education, and food. Which is the best of all? Many donors look down upon the recipients. Is it not wrong? Is it not the recipient who relieves the donor of his bad Karma? Is it not egotistical to feel proud of being charitable?
Answer:
The last comment is very apt. Dasaratha said if the donor feels loftier than the recipient, the charity will not yield merit. The donor is dependent on the receiver. If there is no one to receive, to whom will the donor give? He gave the judgment that the recipient is nobler. It is very wrong and egotistical to think ‘I am great because I am charitable.’ Such charity will not give full benefit.
That you have renounced something, will still give merit. It is always good to donate, without waiting to become completely ego-free, because that may never happen. Instead of feeling, “I am giving you this”, one should think, “This is not mine”. Even before giving, believe that the item does not belong to you, but to the other person. Now you are restoring it to its rightful owner. “God has kept this with me, which actually belongs to you. I am returning it to you,” should be the attitude of the donor. He should never think that because of his help and service the other person is able to survive. In some circumstances, it may be true. The receiver may be in dire need of your help. You cannot say, ‘my mind is not free from arrogance. So I will not give’. You must act according to the need. Even if ego is present, go ahead and give. It will benefit you.
Which is the best of all Daanams? I had jokingly said, Samaadhaanam.
There are many types of donation. All are not suited to all occasions. During some auspicious events, ten types of charity are suggested. During rites for peace, 16 types of charity are suggested. During ancestral rites, and the consecration of a deity, specific charities are stipulated.
Annadanam, feeding the hungry, is suitable at any time. It is the greatest of all charities. It is for everyone. One cannot put a price on food. All other commodities have a price tag. Although we should not speak of a cow like this, to purchase a cow of a good breed, you have to pay a certain price. But you cannot attach a price tag for food.
A millionaire was traveling alone by car. He got stranded in a jungle. There was not a soul who could fix his new car. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He had some water. He drank it. There was nothing in the car to eat. He expected to reach his destination quickly. He waited till the evening to see if anybody would appear. No one came. It was midnight. At a distance he saw a hut. The man felt that he would die of hunger. He went to the hut. An old woman was sitting there. He asked for food. She warmed up and offered him some gruel she had prepared in the morning. He ate it. His system became stabilized.
To that millionaire, at that time, what was the value of that food? Can he put a price on it? No. The man offered the old woman a reward. She refused. She had no need. She was alone. She was not going to eat the food anyway.
How can the millionaire repay his debt to the woman? His assets, his fame, his position would have all been worthless had he lost his life like a destitute, in the middle of that jungle for the lack of a morsel of food. If he were to be born again as her son and served her all his life, he still would not repay her adequately. Is that not true?
Of all charities, the gift of food is the greatest. Only with food, a person feels satisfaction. He will say, it is enough. By nature, man is ever discontented. Only food can give him satisfaction. That is why food is equated with God. Annam Brahma. Even Bhima, Bakasura, and Kumbhakarna, will at one point say, enough. Be it for demons, celestials, humans, animals, or any other living creatures in this world, food alone has the power to satisfy. That is why Annadanam is the best. Satisfaction of hunger is most important.
Here, during the Chaturmasya, Annadanam is conducted well. When I was approached, I requested that one lakh people should be served meals. They tell me that the number has exceeded. I am very happy. There are poor people all around. Please distribute free food to them. Tuesday’s Share Your Food Scheme started by Sri Swamiji is great. Either give cooked food, or the ingredients required to prepare a meal, whether or not you skip a meal.
The best is Annadanam, although all donations are good. Providing funds for education, or giving the gift of knowledge is next. By giving knowledge, you enable a person to earn his own food. But you cannot teach a hungry person. The lesson will not register. Svetaketu was starved for several days. He could not remember anything he had learned. Unless one eats, the brain will not function. Giving food is the best. Giving knowledge comes next.
Jaya Guru Datta !