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EXPLANATION OF
Daan
= CHARITABLE DONATION
AS PRESCRIBED IN vED and SHaasTR
The following is explanation of Daan
by saars`vt-muni from
s`kn`D puraaAN slok
1.2.54-83 and includes explanation of technical
sNskrut words and text insertions for easy understanding without
corrupting the original sNskrut text
from which the translation in English is done:
om guru bRH`myE nmH...
" t`ps`vio
and yogio
(ascetics including rushio and munio)
perfrom tps`y (meditation).
bRaaHmANo perform
hvn or yGN. Daan
is given. All these
kARm are eagerly pursued for the
sake of obtaining pr-lok (
worldly domains in a bRHmaaND
(universe) in additional to the domains of mortals which is
BHuu-lok
and which are BHuARv-lok, svarga-lok,
mHr-lok, jn-lok, tps-lok and sty-lok )."
kaatyaaym-mini
asked:
"Of these two
kARm, namely
daan and tps`y, which
is more difficult? Which yields greater benefit after death?
saarsvat-muni replies:
There is nothing more difficult to perform in
pruthvi-lok (domain that support mortal
living beings) than Daan.
This is perceived directly with the viSS`v
(universe) as the witness.
Abandoning their own dear life for the sake of wealth,
mankind enter the oceans, forests and mountains out of
lOBH (greed). They face the great dangers therein.
(Regarding the need for wealth: In st`y-yug
all that humankind needs is attained by mentally desiring. In st`y-yug all
that is desired is used for the daily performing of
tps`y, BHk`ti, yGN and Daan
as an offering to creator bRHm and/or all His manifested shktio which
makes the entire creation functional and sustainable. But with
the lessening of living daily life as per rules and regulations of
DHARm starting in the 4th quarter of st`y-yug, mankind needs wealth created
by its own self. And this need to attain wealth by one's own labour gives
humanity the trait of loBH
(greed) It becomes harder and harder for humanity to get wealth for its
sustenance from st`y yug to kli-yug. And
with that lOBH keeps on increasing in mankind. In
kli-yug lOBH
predominates and becomes a prime daily trait in life. Living daily with
predominance of lOBH trait means
one stops living daily life following the rules and regulations of
DHARm. And not to live by
DHARm means one is committing
paap (sin). This means
lOBH is the reason one commits
paap.)
Others or some of them adopt
sevaa (service to further others welfare and well-being).
Others pursue agricultural activities involving great strain
and much violence.
Because of lOBH,
it is very difficult to give up the wealth for the following reasons:
- Wealth has been acquired with great pain and strain;
-
Wealth has been obtained by means of hundreds of strenuous
exertions;
- Wealth becomes more important and
beloved that one's pRaaAN
(five vital breaths) (because of the effort required in getting wealth
where as breathing as in pRaaAN is an automatic function of the body)
Whatever a rich person gives by
Daan or whatever he consumes (for his
sustenance) is the real asset of the rich person. When the rich person
dies, other persons amuse and enjoy themselves with the womenfolk and the
riches left behind by this rich person.
(This means what has been left behind rather than giving
out in Daan is a waste and
becomes ultimately a non-asset of the person though he worked so hard to get
the wealth. Only daan stays with
the dead person as an asset as explained further)
That wealth which is being given as Daan
is not wasted.
Wealth given as daan
increases more and more.
This process is similar to that of a well from which when
water is pumped out, the well becomes pure and also shows that the well has
abundance of water which comes from the water in the ground stream which
continuously replenishes the water in the well.
One gives up thousands of births for the sake of
suKH (pleasure, joy and happiness) in
one birth. whereas a GNaani
collects and stores all the sukh
of a thousand births in a single birth. (A
GNaani is person with GNaan
= knowledge of Creator bRH`m and
His relationship with all that He creates)
A foolish man does not give wealth as
Daan
because he is afraid of poverty in this world. Whereas a
GNaani gives away wealth because
he is afraid of the poverty in the other world.
What will those persons resorting to their bodies that are
fragile and brittle do with their wealth? The body for the sake of which one
desires wealth is not permanent. |
In previous times (previous life-journeys or previous
days), those who did not wish to give their wealth as
Daan repeated continually two syllables
"naa-s`ti" meaning "it is non-existent
or there is no wealth"'. That false saying had become the enemy of such
people in subsequent life when they have to say the two syllables
"DEHi" meaning "protect for I need
protection from the suffering of poverty. All the
people who use the two syllable "DEHi"
enlighten a miser thus:
"Give. I am asking because I
did not give in previous times. May you also not become like me if you
give."
It is for helping the Daani
(donor) himself that the SHrAN-aARthin
(one seeking refuge or protection, in this case from poverty) says "Give
me". If the Daani
(donor) gives then he goes to
svARg (heaven) and the receiver
of donation stays in pRUthvii-lok
(domains of the mortals)."
The following persons are born as described
below, because they did not give anything in
Daan in their previous times and lives:
The above people are always victims of
DuKH (pain, suffering and
unhappiness)."
These two types of persons should be thrown
into water after tying a big rock around their neck:
-
a rich man who does not give
Daan,
-
a poor man who has not become a
tps`vi ( a
tps`vi is one has developed self-control and
self-regulation of one's iNDRRiyo
(10 senses) and mns (mind) and
has started performing daily tps
(meditation), BHk`ti (worship), yGN
(offering to DEvtaao) and
Daan to be
enlightened about the reasons of one's state of poverty.
(Being thrown in water is a figurative way of
saying in vED that as these two
kinds of people should take re-birth in the same life with enlightenment of
GNaan
as they are not living their life as per the
rules and regulations of DHARm
and SHaasTR.
This lifestyle in turn will incur paap
and be futile to achieve the puruSHaaARth
(objectives) of life which are attainment of
aARth, kaam, DHARm and moKSH.
(See write up on puruSHaaARth by
here)
One in hundred is born as a heroic warrior;
one in a thousand is a born as a scholar;
one in a hundred thousand is
born as an orator; but
a person who will be a
Daani (donor) may or may not be born."
"pRUthvii-lok
is sustained by these seven creations:
-
cows,
-
bRaaHmANo,
-
vED,
-
women who observe
pti-vRt (meaning who are devoted to
only one husband as specified in sTRii-DHARm
in veD and
SHaasTR),
-
persons who live by
DHARm of
st`y ( meaning, always making a statement of actual
Truth after discriminating between DHARm
and aDHARm and also
giving a statement without causing pain to others of what has been seen,
heard, inferred and experienced by oneself.),
-
persons who are not
l0BHi (greedy) and
-
persons who continually give
Daan.
pRjaapti
brahmaa-DEv confirmed the above as st`y (truth) from
saars`vt-muni
and adds : (slok
1.2.83):
" Daan
protects yGN (in the sense
without giving Daan after completion of yGN
makes the purpose and fruits of yGN
void). In this world, all living
beings obtain livelihood from Daanio
(donors).
Living beings broke down enemies through
Daan. Enemies becomes friends
through Daan,.
Everything is founded on and is sustained in
Daan.
(The sustenance provided by
Creator bRH`m's
st`v-guANi manifestation
called viSHANu-DEv and lKSHmi-DEvii depends on the foundation and operation
of DHARm which has four paaD
(supports): Dyaa
(compassion), Daan
(donations as prescribed in vED),
st`y
(Truth) and
tps`y (meditation with performance of
bhkti, yGN and
Daan). Hence living
beings speak of Daan as the
greatest kARm in the practice of
living by DHARm. "
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