Charity

Charity

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            Charity is defined as any activity of assistance that intends to benefit the necessitous and the deprived at large. Charity is portrayed to uplift the people belonging to the lower strata of the society. In today's modern world, charity has assumed umpteen number of forms and applications that is publicised to aim at public good. However, the very unfortunate reality is the widening of the economic divide and increased incidence of the destitute. Despite the multitudinous acts of charity, the proliferation of the underprivileged and impoverished indicates the futility of efforts or a misplaced focus.

            Charity as an act of alleviating the inadequate and the suffering was never a new concept to the followers of the Veda. The Veda is the source of every scripture of Sanathana Dharma. Krishna Dwaibhayana, who detailed the Veda, consequently called Ved Vyasa; summarised its essence thus -

"Slokaarthaena Pravakshyaami, Yathuktham Granthakodishu;

Paropakaara Punyaaya, Paapaaya Parapeedanam."

            It infers; every scripture of Sanathana Dharma in essence dictates that one should serve others in the good of mankind to earn merits; or if to pile up sin, hurt others. Service executed in the good of humanity termed charity, is precisely the substratum and crux of every activity as decreed by Sanathana Dharma.

            A prudent analysis of the verse details with clarity that the proper focus and tangible result of charity is not alleviating the poor or bringing solace to the suffering; rather an effective means to accumulate merits for oneself. Superficially the ideology may seem selfish and contained. Yet still the underlying principle is the profound truth that any endeavour in the pretext of charity is an act of hypocrisy, unless one gains humility. An in depth analysis is imperative to fathom the complete dimensions of charity in its totality.

            Any effort of charity is unidirectional and unsolicited; from the benefactor to the beneficiary. The latter may not need or desire or approve the former's assistance. The efforts of charity may not necessarily serve the intended purpose upon implementation. Even if did; it is an elementary truth that any effort of charity provides only transitory solace to the destitute. However, the positive intentions of the benefactor - the demonstration of empathy and benevolence; effectively removes the ego in oneself, aiding the germination of humility. Humility is the supreme merit and the essence of spirituality.

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” - Jack London

            Humility is the singular virtue that grants vision to perceive the intrinsic ephemerality of life and its associated grasping pursuits. Unless charity becomes an integral element of a person's daily routine, duty; germination of humility is impossible. The self-gratification and pride arising out of the acts of charity coupled with the praise of people would eventually result in the proliferation of desires in the benefactor's mind. Any human activity becomes impure and tarnished, when the mind wobbles around the results, and the benefits that would accrue upon completion of the task.

            The efforts of charity exposes the benefactor to the multitudinous suffering people experience in their life; thereby exerts a distinctive influence to perceive the inherent flaw of impermanency in acquisitive comfort. The prime benefit of charity to oneself is not name or fame but becoming expansive. An expansive mind transcends the psychological barriers of caste, creed, wealth to perceive humanity. The perception of humanity enables stability of mind even amidst psychological turbulence that averments the ethicalness of the activities performed.

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”  - Mother Teresa

            The Veda accords much importance to the accumulation of merits, as it is the substratum of one's birth. The experience of pleasure or anguish in a person's life time depends on the accumulated merits or demerits. Hence in spite of the benefactor's efforts of charity, the beneficiary is destined to exhaust one's own karma by experiencing pleasure or agony. Hence the focus is certainly misplaced if the benefactor claims that the ultimate result of charity is to succour the needy. Even in gross materialistic terms, it is apparent that any effort to satisfy the basic wants of a person offers just a fugacious relief.

            Activities that are decreed by Sanathana Dharma; when performed with humility as one's moral duty; gradually erodes the substratum of desire. A desire free mind accomplishes clarity of thought and empathy. The explicit result of charity is to cleanse one's own mind that has so long been cluttered with desires. The moment a desire crops up in a person's mind, the intellect rushes to materialise it. Up to the time of the satiation of desire, peace of mind is lost. A desire free mind is the substratum of peace.

            In the present scenario, the proliferation of charitable institutions as a class of their own indicates the colossal deviation of man from the chartered route as prescribed by the Dharmasastras. The ancient undivided, joint family system played a pivotal role in keeping a check on social evil. Nurturing even distant relatives as the natural way of life had kept a check on the proliferation of the destitute. The presence of ancestors and distant relatives in a family provided the younger members, information on the traditional family value systems and psychological support.

            The economic focus to fulfil the fundamental necessities of every member of the joint family had effectively distanced the life style of people from philistinism. The psychological substratum of charity - empathy towards another living being; was natural. Compassion and tolerance was wide prevalent among the masses that ensured every indulgence, ethical. In the present era of nuclear families; with cupidity at its core, serving up even one's parents are considered onerous. The incessant avaricious materialistic pursuits as a means to happiness; converting every possible luxury into necessities have devastated the subtle niceties of forbearance and contentment achieved through a simple life style.

            The efforts of charity as claimed by the benefactors have failed to generate the requisite benefit, as they are marred by hypocrisy and self-deceit. Ethics as the substratum of charity is long forgotten. Businesses shun from ethics; are operated as a tool to profiteering. The propaganda of charitable institutions, and the corporate social responsibility of companies have secluded charity from the main stream human indulgence. Monetary wealth has become the substratum to charity only to be identified as an activity belonging to the super-rich. Charity in effect has been condescended to gain popularity that adds positively to business.

            When the acts of charity are used as a differentiating tool to maintain pre-eminence amidst competition in the name of corporate social responsibility; adulterates the very principle of charity. The inherent hazard of exhibiting a lavish life style in a society is the piling up of desires in the minds of the percipient. When they fail in their efforts to match the exhibited social status of their opinion leaders, resort to unethical methods of self-gratification resulting in the proliferation of social evil.

            The prime objective of charity is to eliminate the evil that crops up in a person's mind due to one's inability to meet the basic essential demands of life. The explicit result expected out of the efforts of charity is the removal of hatred and malice in a society that has popped up due to the inability of people to meet even the essential requirements to stay alive. Hence it is imperative that any effort of charity focus on life sustenance factors than desires. Humility, the greatest virtue is attainable as an effective outcome of charity only when the efforts undertaken are not publicised.

“The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”  - William Wordsworth.

            Charity begins at one's own mortal frame; as it is mere hypocrisy to undertake efforts of charity while maintaining a lavish life style. The rudimentary aspect of extravagance is the wavering of mind to acquisitive comfort that is antagonistic to the elementary objective of charity - Humility. The cradle step to a full-fledged activity of charity in real sense is to minimise one's own dependence on materialistic comforts as en route to peace of mind.