Shri Krishna Loves You: Saattvic Charity

That which is donated knowing that charity is duty, to whom one is not obliged, in the right place and time, to a worthy person, that charity is called saattvic.

Hare Krishna! If you want "Shri Krishna Loves You" daily post
in your WhatsApp or to be sent to your near and dear ones
write your/their WhatsApp number in the
Comment Section. It's a free service!

|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||

॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.20॥



_दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।_

_देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम्‌॥_



भावार्थ :

जो दान कर्तव्य समझकर, बिना किसी उपकार की भावना से, उचित स्थान में, उचित समय पर और योग्य व्यक्ति को ही दिया जाता है, उसे सात्त्विक (सतोगुणी) दान कहा जाता है। (२०)



Meaning:

That which is donated knowing that charity is duty, to whom one is not obliged, in the right place and time, to a worthy person, that charity is called saattvic.



Explanation:

So far, Shri Krishna described the three types of food, sacrifice and penance. Food gives us energy to serve the world, to perform sacrifice. Penance enables us to conserve and channel that energy towards sacrifice. Sacrifice results in a result that is received by the recipient of the sacrifice as well as to us, the performers of the sacrifice. Accumulating results beyond what we need to support ourselves and our family can result in greed. To check this greed, we need to perform daanam or charity.



Now, even the attitude towards charity can reveal a lot about the texture of our faith. Shri Krishna described the characteristics or conditions of charity performed with a saattvic attitude. Conducting charity out of a sense of duty is the first condition. It should come naturally to us, and not because someone has asked us to do it. Charity should never be treated as a business deal. For instance, if someone has done us a favour, we should not give him something in the guise of charity. Furthermore, we should not donate something expecting something in return.



Charity is a sacred act, therefore it has to be performed thoughtfully. Tossing a coin to a beggar on the street may be a noble act, but it does not quality as an act of saattvic charity. It has to be done at the right place and during an auspicious occasion. It also has to be directed towards a worthy person. Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary gives the example of the occasion of Sankraanti, the beginning of the month, as an auspicious occasion. He also gives the example of a learned teacher as one who is worthy of receiving a charitable donation.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||