Bhavishya Purana states, danamekam kalau yuge. That is, in the age of Kali (which is present times), charity is the means for purification. Every faith in the world prescribes service and charity as per an individual’s capacity. Now what is this capacity or ‘samarthya’, which many holy books, saints and seers talk about?
Providing and protecting the weak, stray and injured is one way of doing charity. Some people attempted doing this in the winter of 2015-16, by building dog shelters. Take a look at pictures of the dog shelters built by two volunteers below.
The first was built by a person who lives in a plush farmhouse in a posh colony. The latter by a service class person who dwells in a small flat in a modest locality…all doing as per their capacity/levels of evolution.
Skandh Purana states, nyayoparjita vittasya dashamanshena dhimataḥ kartavyo viniyogashcha ishvaraprityarthameva cha. From the wealth you have earned by rightful means, take out one-tenth, and as a matter of duty, give it away in charity. Dedicate your charity for the pleasure of God. Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all prescribe similar contributions in the name of daswandh, tithe, alms and zakat.
People who think wealth they possess is everything and yet shy away from sharing even a fraction of it, are in a pitiable state. For it is said in Mahabharata, Chapter 101, “Vast wealth can become a curse for those who don’t give it to the worthy.” So huge wealth is also a test of the wealthy.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagwat Gita, “whatever you possess today, belonged to someone else yesterday and it will be owned by somebody else tomorrow,” so what are we holding on to?
