Hare Krishna! In BG 18th chapter (I forget the verse no.), Satrs says it is not good to donate without considering date/time and others. Now please consider the fact below, I see a beggar asking for alms. This beggar says that he has not taken food since morning. May be the beggar is lying. So it is not possible for me whether he is lying or not. It is also possible at the same time that the beggar is very honest. So I am uncertain about the beggar. And I give him some alms (say I give him Rs. 10). It might be also possible that this beggar will collect all the money whatever he got as alms at the end of the day and cook some Prasada and offer this to Krsna and then eat this. So under this circumstances, Just Servant |
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Compassion is one of the top most qualities of a Vaisnava. If you are not comfortable giving money then perhaps you can offer other items, prasadam, clothes, socks, blankets, toiletries, etc... and even if the beggar is not being truthful, the real test is that of your compassion so do what is in your heart and let Krsna worry about their karma.
Hari bol
agtsp,
pamho,
there is term my mom taught me when i was very little "Krishnarpanam". means offering to krishna
so my mom taught me when ever you do anything good give it krishna for justification .
like in your case your dharma is to help the beggar with proper arrangements available (food or money)
and after performing you say "krishnarpanam" means you are submitting your act to krishna let him do the justification. because he is the almighty who is responsible in giving results to our deeds and to others
i think it may help you come out of confusion of dharma to needed.
hari bol
Dishant
Hare Krishna Mataji/Prabhuji's,
Its very well said that one has to give prasadam to a beggar.
I tried to give the prasadam to a beggar begging in front of Iskcon temple.
But he refused to take prasadam and said me give money only.
I live in the USA. I too have tried to give prasadam to beggars but they all refused to accept it. They only want money. I don't give them money. I am afraid that if I give them money that they will use that money to buy drugs or alcohol.
correct Mataji, no need to give them money. Food or cloth nothing else. Another thing happened in our place one Mataji came to our Temple and asked money for medicines. She told that she is sick. So Devotees did not gave her money but took her to the hospital and then after doctor's advice bought for her needed medicines.
So we have to be very careful of giving money.
Your servant,
This is a good analysis. King Rantidev fasted for 40 days, and then just as he was about to sit down for some food and drink, he was approached by three beggars. Each took a portion of Rantidev's meal and he was left with no food at all. Later it was revealed that Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma had come to beg. They wanted it known that Rantidev was a pure devotee. Whatever we do, we always have to remember to chant Hare Krishna. Only this will save us.
then wants to buy cigarettes.
if beggar puts conditions then let him WORK & EARN and get what he wants.
In the reality such like cheater beggars should be punished because they are making picture of true saintly people who usually live for alms. There are true saintly people who live for donations but such like cheaters beg finding it easy way of earning.
Where as saintly people are busy with serving to others and to God so they do not have enough time to earn money for themselves, so they deserve donations not cheaters.
Also if beggar then he should sit in the road side but not run after person and disturb one even if one does not want to give money.
Your servant,
Bhagavad Gita As It Is, by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami says in Ch 18, verse 5: Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls". The explanation I have heard is that if we give a dollar to a wino, we will get that dollar back in our next life. If we give a dollar to a qualified brahmana, we will get that dollar back a hundred fold. If we give a dollar to a pure Vaishnava, we cannot estimate how much we will get back in our next life.
Hare Krishna dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
My Guru Maharaja was once going on the car along with his disciples so when they stopped in the red light one beggar came and asked for money. One Devotee wanted to give money but Maharaj stopped.
He told that we do not want to earn bad karma. And requested from that time on to all his disciples to carry some dry Prasadam along with themselves where ever they go.
When we give charity to a good brahmana we earn thousand times more of that charity in this life or in next.
When we give charity to a pure Devotee we earn unlimited times more result...
but when we give charity to a person who will then later buy some meat products, and if for example it is a cow meat then we are finished. And it says that if one eats cow meat one have to suffer as many years in hell as many hairs on the body of a cow.
So it is very dangerous. And we do not know who is honest and who is not, sometimes they are so artistic.
Once i observed these beggars in the big religious festival - it was i think Vaikuntha Ekadashi day. So that day whole city of Mysore comes to the temple of Lord Balaji and takes darshan.
It was a good opportunity for 'beggars' also.
Some of them even demanded money from people, and they used to give so that let them get lost. In this way thousands of people by 10 - 20 Rs. At the end of day one of them opened his pocket and started to count thousands of Rs.
And of course for that money they will eat meat, drink alcohol, illicit sex....
And they will share this sin with those who gave money to them.
So if we do not know person we should give him cloth of PRASADAM. I am sure with simple fried peanuts, for example he won't have acidity. If he have acidity it means he is eating enough. When one is hungry usually there is not problem with indigestion.
Your servant,
you are right about donating without considering time date. etc.
what it means is that you should not offer someone something spicy if he says he has acidity.
he is hungry , but you should give him only the things that will suit him at that given time.
that is what it means.
when a beggar asks for money saying he is hungry offer him food {if available}
if not , just give him the money.
your dharma is to help the people who have approached you unless the helping doesn't harm you.
so , give him money as it is your dharma to help a needy person.
if he misuses it it is his problem and he will get the karma of misusing it.
I would like to quote an incident from swami vivekananda's life.
swamiji too had the same doubt and he approached his father wo was donating to people who consumed opium.
he asked" if they consume opium with the money you donated , then you will get the sin of giving them something hamful isnt it?"
well, his father's reply was something else but i am quoting my answer to the question.
"i am donating them money, not opium.i am giving them Laxmi so that they can satisfy their body needs with the grace of annapurna, but not indulge in maya. my prayer is to annapurna to help them, not maya to indulge them. thus, i will not incur any sin. it is upto them whather they want to use the parsadam of annapurna devi (money to buy food) to induge in maya. my prayer is to annapurna ,not maya."
hope this has helped you.
your servant,
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