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DĀNA (CHARITY)
A śrāvaka should give at least some part of his ethically earned wealth in charity. This charity is of four kinds - āhāra dāna, bhaisajya dāna, jñāna dāna, and karuņā dāna. To provide food to the hungry is āhāra dāna. To arrange for medicine and treatment of a helpless ailing being, to open charitable hospitals and dispensaries, and to distribute medicine at the time of some epidemic is bhaisajya dāna. To open schools, colleges, and institutions and to give scholarships, books and other assistance to students and to work towards educating people is jñāna dāna. To publish or purchase and distribute free of cost Jain literature to those curios about fundamentals. To show compassion for beings wailing in pain and to make efforts to comfort them and to take steps to remove their misery is karuņā dāna. To be actively involved in the service of humans and other beings at the time of famine, floods, drought, accidents or other such predicaments is also karuņā dāna. These four types of charities are done with wealth, body, and mind. In case of inability to do that with wealth and body they can done in the form of having sincere desire to serve the destitute and ailing.
Besides these charities for the benefit of masses there are also charities for the benefit of the self. Before taking his meals a śrāvaka should find out if some ascetic (muni, āryikā, elaka, kśullaka, ksullikā) or vow-observing person is staying in the town. If so, he or she should be offered pure and acceptable food, medicines, books, etc. following the prescribed procedure and with great devotion and humility.
The purpose of giving charity every day is that wealth should not delude a person and make him conceited. He should continue to spend a part of whatever he has acquired due to fruition of karmas for the spiritual benefit of the self and others in order to reduce fondness and attachment. This helps his progress on the path of non-possession.
References:
1. The second caste in the traditional Hindu caste-hierarchy; the
warrior 2. Sa cāsya kathayāmāsa sabarīm dharmacāriņi. Śramaņām
dharmanipuņāmabhigacchati Rāghavam. -- Bālakāņda Tāmuvāca tato Rāmaḥ śramanīm dharmasamsthitām. -- Aranyakāņda, 74/7
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