GIVE TO RECEIVE
A few notes on Daana Vidhi as described in Mahabharata
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“yajñō dānaṁ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām” says the Lord in the Gita. Yajna (sacrifice), daana (donation) and tapas (penance) are the three means that purify the seekers by ridding them of sins. While the performer of yajna burns his sins in the sacrificial fire, the one who does tapas burns them in the fire of physical and mental endurance that is an indispensable part of penance. When it comes to daana, the sins of the giver are burned in the fire of the receiving brahmana’s hand! The more the spiritual accomplishment of the receiver, the more brightly the flame burns. The person who is giving the daana is giving a part of his sins along with it to the receiver. It is only when the receiver is a Vishnu devotee, a strict adherent of Vedic code of conduct and is learned in the scriptures, will the giver be benefited because only such a person can burn the giver’s sins by accepting daana. If not, the one who accepts it would himself be destroyed by receiving it. This is the reason why scriptures insist on giving daana to a “satpaatra”(worthy person).
All our scriptures highlight the importance of daana. The Ashwamedhika Parva of the Mahabharata, for instance, throws some light on daana and the fruits enjoyed by the donor. If a person suffering from ailments gives daana even with minimum resources, he will not only get rid of those ailments but will prosper in his old age. A youthful person donating with complete faith in the Lord, control over the senses, hygiene, tranquility, etc. will enjoy the benefits in his youth itself.
Daana is classified as sattvika, rajasa and tamasa. Only sattvika daana can lead one to moksha (liberation) and firm prosperity. Donation given to a brahmana who is learned in the Vedas, who has many children, who needs financial support etc. is sattvika daana. The giver should give not with pride, indifference or by expecting anything in return but with awareness that giving daana is his duty prescribed in the scriptures and it pleases the Lord. Only such a daana gives sattvika results. Daana given to a brahmana with no knowledge of the Vedas or on account of having received some favor from him in the past, is rajasa. Similarly, one should avoid giving things which the receiver doesn’t need. A tamasa daana is that which is given to a criminal or a person who is not interested in the scriptures. The giver donating with anger and disrespect also qualifies as tamasa daana.
While the devas and pitrus accept sattvika daana and give fruits accordingly, the rajasa and tamasa daanas are outright rejected by them. What is thus rejected will be accepted by inferior beings like yakshas, daityas, pischas and pretas. One can imagine what fruit the giver gets when the daana reaches such beings! For gaining the highest benefits from sattvika daana, it should be done without the receiver having to request it. The giver should himself try to go to the receiver’s place and give daana rather than making him come over. It is also important to give the right thing as donation. The timing and the place of the daana should also be appropriate. There is no much significance in giving a vessel made of steel to a person who eats on a silver plate! Daana should be given to the needy, the unemployed and the poor. Medicines should be given as daana to an ailing person. Never should one give false assurances of giving a daana and disappoint the noble ones. We have heard of how such false assurance by King Romapada caused huge calamities to his entire kingdom for years. Not only does the giver distance himself from the sins through daana, but the merits of the receiver also reach the giver. This emphasizes the caution to be exercised by the receiver and the giver before daana.
It is to be noted that daana is not just restricted to grihasthas (householder). While brahmacharis (young brahmanas who observe chastity) and sannyasis (ascetics) cannot give dravya-daana (substances), they do have the right to give abhaya-daana (assurance), jnana-daana (knowledge to disciples) etc. to the needy. In this way everyone is dutybound to give daana according to his varna (creed) and ashrama (stage of life). Along with all this, it is important not to forget that any dharma (religious act) yields fruits only when done with Vishnu smarana (cogitation). To attain the fruits that the scriptures promise, one should donate in a way that the scriptures prescribe. The bountiful grace of the Lord who is the one who actually gives and receives by being the indweller of the giver and the receiver should be the sole purpose of donating if one wants to progress on the path of liberation.
