Noble Use of Money

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

Page 21

Noble Use of Money
Noble Use of Money
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Shreshthi: Sheth:Shutha
next life. Here, the importance is being placed on the inner intent (bhaav, cause) and not on the action (effect) of giving. This is the science of the vitarag Lords.
In the past era there used to be very generous philanthropists. Such donors only come about when their mind, speech, and body are in unison. God calls them shreshthi' (the best). In Madras the word has changed to 'shetti.' In Gujarat this word is 'sheth' (wealthy businessman).
I went to visit a wealthy businessman who happened to be out of town. His secretary said that he would be gone for a few days and then commented that his boss should be called a 'shutha' (rogue) rather than sheth.' I told him he should not say such things since he was on this man's payroll. Still one should not use hurtful words. Alas this is what the world has come to. In the past the sheths were respectable philanthropists, but this is no longer so.
The Inner Intent Is Paramount Someone may have no inner intent to give. Yet for the world he talks a lot about giving and also ends up giving. This will not bring meaningful results, because he did not have the inner intent to give.
Questioner: Why is that so Dada?
When a donor gives with this unity of his mind, speech and conduct, he will receive tremendous benefits. The result of this is beyond imagination. But people nowadays give because they are pressured into giving, they do not give willingly and so the benefits they receive are not as good. It is better to give willingly and happily. Do people not give under pressure?
Questioner: Yes.
Dadashri: Some give for their own glory. They give because they want to maintain their reputation. They give for the sake of appearances, even though their heart is against giving and consequently the benefits they reap from giving unwillingly will be trivial. The reward one receives is based on what he "paints on the inner screen' (inner intent). What will be the reward for the one whose bhaav is to give even when he cannot?
Invisible Karma, Cause: Visible Karma, Effect
Dadashri: When a person has the intention to give, even when he has no means, that person will bind punya and reap the fruit of this intent in the next life, because his intention to give is considered as good as giving. His intention is accepted by God the same as he gave. He has profited by fifty percent simply with the intent to give
A businessman donates fifty thousand rupees. When a friend comments on his generosity, he tells him that he only gave the money because the mayor pressured him into doing so, otherwise he would not have donated even a single rupee. Now what kind of a reward can he expect? The donation of fifty thousand rupees is his visible (sthool) karma, which is visible to all and for that he will be rewarded with praise and fame here in this life. However, his underlying intention of not wanting to give, is his invisible (sookshma) karma, which cannot be discerned by others including himself. This karma is the cause for the next life's effect. The effect of this cause will be that in his next life, he will not be able to give anything. Now who can understand such a subtle fact?
One man goes to the derasar (Jain temple) and puts only one rupee in the donation box, whereas another businessman puts in a few notes of a thousand rupees each. Watching him do this makes this man wish he too could do the same, even though he does not have it. This wish is credited as his donation for