Aspirants Guide

Author(s): Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Sadhna Kendra Koba

Page 20

CHARITY
Generally, social charity is included in this type. Social charity starts with family charity in which brothers, sisters, cousins and others are beneficiaries. But the charity of the real righteous man does not stop here; it constantly expands far and wide.
Donations, such as for the construction and the running of a hospital, the construction and maintenance of a place of rest for travellers, for digging wells, tanks or gardens, for community halls and town halls, or for schools, colleges, dormitories are donations for social welfare. They are, therefore, included under the heading of Compassionate charity and should be considered as a subset of this type of charity. Here, in these donations, the dominant feeling is for social uplift for community welfare and for the progress of social and institutional activities. 3. Charity of Gentleness :
This is the best and most important of all charities. Charity of gentleness means shaping one's routine of life in such a manner that all living beings feel safe and secure with you. No external resource is necessary in this charity. All human beings can, therefore, resort to it.
But one important trait of this charity is the need of constant awakening of the soul. The Sadhaka who takes recourse to this charity will not cause damage of any kind to any one by his actions. He will not use speech afflicting others and not even think ill of others.
Only if there is a constant awakening of soul, can one succeed in not causing ill to anybody mentally, physically or by speech. Thinking deeply, we will realize that only great people who have renounced all attachment to worldly life, have the full capacity to practice this kind of charity. But it is proper that we ordinary people also practice it as far as a possible attempt to attain the good of our own souls. 4. Charity Of Knowledge :
Charity of knowledge helps worldly souls to permanently release themselves from the cycle of birth and death and thus paves the way to eternal bliss. Even though this type of charity is possible to some extent by learned and knowledgeable people, the main donors of this type are the great Achryas and Monks who are the very embodiment of divine knowledge with CHARITY
11