Giving back, the eternal cycle of charity

All religions ordain that each one should donate a part of his earnings in charity. The donee could be an individual or an organisation that pools such funds for a greater cause. Each contribution is valuable, just as every raindrop contributes to making a rivulet. At times the donor willingly gives a wee bit more than what is expected of him, or most times gives much less than what he can actually afford to give. 

The Vedas emphasise charity from time immemorial. It is called daan, and various types such as annadaan, vastrdaan, jaladaan, vidyadaan, and bhumidaan are in practice. As per the Vedic scriptures, the recipient for certain types of daan should be an uttama-patra, or one with excellent qualities and deserving of receiving the pious daan. But there is no such restriction for annadaan (food donation), recognising that the hunger in an ant is the same as in an elephant and in each one of us.

Food donation is considered the best, and large Hindu temples disburse free food for all. One can next donate to a religious cause, as many temples need huge funds for renovation or expansion or making accessories for the deity, and one may donate as per ability or desire. Although you donate a lakh of rupees, it may seem a paltry amount towards a humongous corpus, with the naysayer and the insensitive critic belittling your effort, saying that the amount may seem big to you but would hardly make an impact. Nevertheless, give, as any donation made with pure devotion will definitely incur the blessings of the seer seeking such donations, along with ushering unseen divine blessings. 

Sikhism has Vand Chakna, wherein one shares what one has with others without any bias. The langar is a Sikh community kitchen where free meals are served without discrimination to all through voluntary service. Islam prescribes sadaqah and zakat, the former being voluntary and the latter, mandatory.

Charity is embedded in Christianity, and volunteering in the form of time, money and resources is practised. When you indulge in charitable acts, you grow spiritually and experience a sense of fulfilment. Nothing is yours; you are giving back what you have received, which you will receive in some form again in the future – it is an eternal cycle.